The lighter side of Messi

Messi showing off his new "car"

World Footballer of the Year Lionel Messi always plays with a smile on his face. Apparently he hasn’t allowed the fierce rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo to get to him. And now he has shown an even lighter, more humorous side.

Earlier this week, it was claimed that the Barcelona star was the highest bidder in an auction for a 1957 Ferrari 335 S Spider Scaglietti, which was driven by Sterling Moss in the Cuban Grand Prix in 1958.

The stunning machine, which was sold to a round of applause, is known for doing a staggering 186mph in 1957.

The bidding started at €20m and ended at €32m – and even though the winner has not been revealed, it was claimed that Messi was the man behind the purchase.

To make the story even juicier, it was reported that the Argentine outbid long time rival Ronaldo for the Ferrari.

Messi clearly heard about the speculation around his purchase and decided to poke fun at it. He posted a photo of himself on Instagram holding a red toy car, the Lightning McQueen from the Cars series.

His jovial message read "My new car" and ended with several laughing emojis.

It is not the first time the pair have come head-to-head and their rivalry is well documented.

Both players are seen as the best in the world with fans and pundits regularly arguing about who is better.

In January, Messi won the prestigious Ballon D'or ahead of Ronaldo at a ceremony in Zurich. It is the eighth consecutive year the two players have been up against each other. 

The car was bought by French collector and racing driver Pierre Bardinon in 1970 and remained part of the family's staggering collection until this week.

Mr Bardinon passed away in 2012 and the family was told to sell the car at a French auction to settle an inheritance tax bill.