Paul Pogba Equal to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, Says Gianluigi Buffon

Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba's performances last season put him alongside Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo as one of the best players in the world, according to the Frenchman's club captain Gianluigi Buffon.

Juve claimed a domestic double in the 2014-15 term and surprised many by making it all the way to the Champions League final before losing to Barca.

Buffon believes Pogba put himself among the best in the game with his performances in the campaign, per the Mirror's David Anderson: "The level that Paul Pogba was playing at last season, there was nobody better in the world, and I include Messi and Ronaldo in that."

The Old Lady managed to keep hold of their star 22-year-old over the summer despite huge interest from elsewhere. The club reportedly turned down an €80 million (£58.6 million) bid for Pogba from Barcelona, per Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t ESPN FC).

Manager Massimiliano Allegri will hope the France international continues to perform from the centre of midfield where he was so vital last term.

A different type of player to Messi and Ronaldo, Pogba contributes both defensively and in attack.

His goalscoring contribution is nowhere near the level of the La Liga duo, per WhoScored.com. However, he is similarly valuable to his side.

	Paul Pogba	Lionel Messi	Cristiano Ronaldo
Appearances (as a substitute)	24(2)	37(1)	35
Goals	8	43	48
Assists	3	18	16
Shots Per Game	2.2	4.9	6.4
Pass Percentage	83.8	82.9	80.7
Aerial Duels Won	1.4	0.2	1.7

Pogba will be vital when Juventus play Manchester City on Tuesday in their opening Champions League group game of the season. 

The Sky Blues were reportedly another team interested in signing Pogba in the summer transfer window, and Buffon described their failure to do so—despite their great riches—as "important for football," per Anderson.

City boss Manuel Pellegrini believes he has the better central midfielder in his side in the shape of Yaya Toure, per beIN Sports USA:

But clearly Buffon feels differently, and it will be interesting to see the battle between Toure and Pogba at the Etihad Stadium.

Even those who don't agree that Pogba is up there with Messi and Ronaldo cannot deny that he is an immense talent, and he will only improve as he gets more and more experienced.

While Buffon is clearly delighted that Pogba stayed at Juventus, it will surely not be long until the former Manchester United man is plying his trade elsewhere.