Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are two of the greatest players of their generation and have dominated football for more than a decade, winning 11 of the last 12 Ballon d’Or. Former Barcelona and Real Madrid man, Ronaldo Nazario, considers the Argentine to be the undisputed ‘number 1’ in the world at the moment but has left out the Portuguese from his list of top five players which includes the likes of Neymar Jr and Kylian Mbappe. Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo Shouldn’t Even Be a Debate, Gary Lineker Hails Barcelona Superstar As Best Ever.

Even though after playing the majority of his career at Real Madrid, the Brazilin has always preferred Lionel Messi over his Juventus compatriot. In a recent interview, the two-time World Cup winners revealed names of the footballers who have impressed him in the present and it was nothing new when he dubbed the Barcelona captain as the best but surprisingly omitted the former Real Madrid man. Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? Jurgen Klopp Pick His Favourite Between the Two Football Greats.

While speaking to AS, Ronaldo said ‘Messi, of course, he is number one, he is a talent that means it will take 20 or 30 years to see something similar. I also like [Mohamed] Salah, [Eden] Hazard, Neymar, I love watching him play, of course, [Kylian] Mbappe.'

Speaking of Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese has evolved his game as he has got older. The Juventus man has transformed himself from an enigmatic winger into a proper number nine whose main focus is to score goals.

Meanwhile, Lionel Messi has gone in the opposite direction as the Argentine is changing role in the team from a forward to more of a playmaker. But playing in deeper positions has not hampered the 32-year-old’s scoring output as this season he has produced staggering numbers.

In 31 games in all competitions, Lionel Messi has been involved in 40 goals, scoring 24 and assisting 16. Cristiano, on the other hand, has scored 25 goals and assisted four times in 31 games this season.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 01, 2020 03:36 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).