'How FAST they grow': Ronaldo's lover congratulates Messi's wife as she posts photos of son in Barcelona football kit on Instagram

Cristiano Ronaldo's partner, Georgina Rodriguez, has sent an affectionate message to Lionel Messi's wife after she celebrated the eighth birthday of her eldest son, Thiago, by portraying him in Barcelona's kit on social media.

Antonella Roccuzzo, Messi's spouse of more than three years, promised to keep embarrassing Thiago alongside photos of him wearing club colors and sitting in a chair designed to look like a football.

Moving in to kiss her son while he playfully pulled away, she wrote: "I have no words to tell you everything you are to us.

"Always with a smile and that peace that you transmit. We love you and I will continue to fill you with kisses even if you don't like it."

The Barca all-time top scorer's long-term rival for goal records, Cristiano Ronaldo, would also have seen the photo as Rodriguez sent love to the Messi dynasty.

"How fast they grow," said the mother of Ronaldo's daughter, Alana. "Congratulations."

Messi marked Roccuzzo's pregnancy with Thiago by placing the ball under his shirt in time-honored footballer fashion after scoring in a 4-0 win for Argentina against Ecuador exactly four months before he was born.

The six-time Ballon d'Or winner described himself as "the happiest man in the world" after the birth and later had Thiago's name and handprints tattooed on his left calf.

Argentina forward Sergio Aguero, Sofia Balbi – Luis Suarez's wife – and Elena Galera, the partner of Barcelona captain Sergio Busquets, were also among those to offer well wishes.

Messi and Ronaldo have regularly met at Ballon d'Or ceremonies but were due to have a rare clash on the pitch when Barcelona visited Juventus in the Champions League last week.

While Messi scored a 91st-minute penalty in a 2-0 win for the Spanish side, Ronaldo remained in isolation at home as he continued his recovery from a positive Covid-19 test.

That meant Ronaldo missed the chance to score against Barcelona at what would have been the sixth time of trying in the Champions League, leading him to call Covid-19 testing "bullsh*t".

Barcelona fans may take some encouragement from seeing Messi junior in full club kit after rumors again surfaced that English giants Manchester City could attempt to lure him away with a pre-contract agreement in January.

Messi's Barcelona are at home to Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League tomorrow, and Juve face a tricky trip to Hungarian side Ferencvaros – although they expect to have Ronaldo available again after he made his return as a substitute and scored twice in a 4-1 Serie A win at Spezia on Sunday.