Liverpool, May 13: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp recently had his say on the age-old debate as to which footballer is better between Argentina maestro Lionel Messi and Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

Over the years, the two have broken multiple scoring records and set new ones and have set unbelievable standards for others to follow. Klopp, who has come up against these two many-a-times with Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool, stated he finds Messi a notch higher than Ronaldo. Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? Jurgen Klopp Pick His Favourite Between the Two Football Greats.

"For me Messi, but I couldn't admire Ronaldo more than I do already. The explanation is the following. We've played against both already and both are almost impossible to defend. But Messi has much lower physical requirements from birth on," Klopp told freekickerz in a video uploaded on their YouTube channel

"If you could paint yourself a perfect player, it would have Ronaldo's height, he could jump and run as high or quick as Ronaldo can do.

"And what is then even added to that is his total attitude, it is absolutely perfect and professional, it couldn't be any better," the 2019-20 Champions League winning coach added.

"And on the other side there is the small Messi who makes everything look so simple. And therefore I like him maybe a little bit more as a player on the pitch," he added. How Jurgen Klopp Transformed Liverpool From 'Doubters' to 'Serial Winners'.

Messi currently holds the record for most number of Ballon d'Or titles with six to his name while Ronaldo has won the crown five times. The two engaged on a once-in-a-lifetime rivalry in LaLiga before Ronaldo left Real Madrid for Serie A giants Juventus.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 13, 2020 08:51 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).