Lionel Messi Might’ve Bought Himself the Ultimate Pick-Me-Up: A Rare Supercar That Cristiano Ronaldo Wanted to Buy, Too

The two greatest footballers in the world’s rivalry now apparently includes a 1957 Ferrari.

A week in the life of Lionel Messi—the record-setting five-time world player of the year in soccer—is not so bad. In fact, it's pretty damn incredible, equivalent to winning a $1.5 billion Powerball while also catching a burning-hot asteroid in your hands and showing it off to the world as if it were a geode. Yet Messi remains human (as hard as it is to believe), and sometimes his life can get a little rocky. On Tuesday, the world's most gifted soccer player underwent surgery to remove kidney stones, an issue that had plagued the Argentine since December of last year.

For most of us who have ever experienced pain in that region, we know it's not fun. No, it's miserable. And to lift our spirits, friends and family will send texts of support, maybe even flowers, all to express their well wishes from afar.

But we're not Lionel Messi. What did the phenom from Rosario do to lift his spirits during a difficult time? He reportedly went ahead and purchased the world's most expensive car. And whom did he outbid in the process? None other than his arch-rival, the male-model extraordinaire who hasn't had a bad hair day since he was born, Cristiano Ronaldo.

According to Alessandro Proto (remember? He's the millionaire women can't get enough of, and also the man responsible for kicking Ronaldo off movies), Team Messi paid beaucoup bucks, surpassing the figure Ronaldo was willing to splurge on a 1957 Ferrari 335 S Spider Scaglietti. And how much was Messi willing to forgo as a kidney-stone pick-me-up? According to a not-so-subtle press release from Proto Organization, which was in charge of the auction, approximately $36.3 million. Sources close to Messi are denying the purchase. Apparently discretion is not Alessandro Proto's strong suit.

If the rumors are true and Messi did buy the world's most expensive car, then the already intense rivalry between Ronaldo and Messi just got a whole hell of a lot more juicy. I'd happily pass a few kidney stones for a day in Messi's shoes.