“I won the World Cup, I know who is better between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi”

Brazilian legend Rivaldo has thrown his support behind Lionel Messi in the eternal debate over who reigns supreme between the diminutive Argentinian and Cristiano Ronaldo. For years, fans have been engaged in heated discussions over who is the brightest star of his generation, the former FC Barcelona maestro or the Portuguese goal machine.

The debate is about everything from the raw power of the goalscorer to the sheer number of trophies won, but for a player of Rivaldo's calibre – a World Cup winner with Brazil and the Champions League with AC Milan in 2003 – it is Messi who stands a cut above.

Rivaldo praised Messi's ability to turn a game around in no time, considering it a determining factor, and even expressed his desire to team up with the 37-year-old, which would have been a dream come true.

In a 2017 interview with Betfair, Rivaldo first expressed his admiration, saying: “I would love to play with Messi. It would be incredible. He is the best in the world, the one who makes the most difference.”

Rivaldo reiterated his stance in 2019 after witnessing Messi's prowess in Barcelona's 3-0 win over Liverpool in the Champions League – which was infamously cancelled in the second leg – saying: “I don't think Barcelona will ever have a player like Messi in their history. He is unique and the best player in the world.”

Brazilian legend Rivaldo also boldly claimed that Messi would dominate football's biggest individual honours of the year, saying: “Honestly, I don't see anyone this season who can eclipse him for the individual awards for the best player on the planet. And it's only May!”

“But he's going to win everything: Ballon d'Or, FIFA World Player of the Year…” These words proved prescient as the wizard went on to scoop major accolades, reports the Mirror.

Despite all the praise for Messi, Rivaldo has no less respect for the marksman Ronaldo, saying in 2017: “Ronaldo? He's the most dangerous player at Real. It's hard to stop him, like Messi.”

While praising the duo, Rivaldo openly shared his belief that the pool of extraordinary talent present at his peak eclipsed that of the current era: “I will simply say that both of them are very good players.

“However, in my time, there were more quality players than today (2017), where we only hear about Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar.”