Barcelona Spokesman: Lionel Messi Is Best Player Ever, Not Cristiano Ronaldo

Barcelona's Lionel Messi is the best player in the history of football, not Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, according to Camp Nou spokesman Josep Vives.

Ronaldo claimed he was the best player of all time after tying Messi's record by winning a fifth Ballon d'Or last week, but Vives insisted the former Manchester United star was mistaken, per Marca.

"Respect to the Ballon d'Or and to Cristiano Ronaldo," he said. "We have always considered him a great player and a great competitor. But here at the Camp Nou, we can see the best player in history every 15 days, which is Messi."

Ronaldo, 32, told France Football (via Sky Sports' Allan Valente) in the wake of his Ballon d'Or triumph: "I'm the best player in history, in the good moments and the bad ones. I respect everyone's preferences, but I've never seen anyone better than me. I have always thought that. No footballer can do the things I can. There's no player more complete than me."

The Portuguese beat Messi in the Ballon d'Or voting for the second year running after leading Real to UEFA Champions League and La Liga glory in 2016-17.

As a result Ronaldo and his Barcelona counterpart have now monopolised the award for the last decade.

The last player to claim the prestigious gong that was not Ronaldo or Messi was Kaka in 2007.

A year later, Ronaldo claimed his first Ballon d'Or, after starring for United in their 2007-08 Premier League and Champions League-winning season, to begin his and Messi's dominance.

Over the past 10 years, the superlative duo have both established their places among the greats of football and arguably earned their spots as the best two players in history.

The argument over who is the better player is ongoing and will never be settled, but unsurprisingly Barcelona prefer Messi over Ronaldo.