Lionel Messi Talks Ronaldo, World's Best Players, Juventus' 'Great Team'

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has said he considers himself and Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo to be on a different level to the rest of the players in the world. 

Messi was asked about who he rated as the standout footballers around at the moment and was quick to rattle off a list of names before making it clear how highly he thinks of Ronaldo, per Radio 94.7 Club Octubre (h/t Marcos Duran of AS).

"Today, there are very good players, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Luis Suarez, Eden Hazard, any of them could be the best in the world," he said. "But I took Cristiano of that group and put him with me."

Although Ronaldo, who spent nine years playing in La Liga with Real Madrid, and Messi were rivals during their time together in Spain, the Barcelona star said he misses the challenge of coming up against the Portuguese. He also paid tribute to Ronaldo's current side, Juventus:

"It was nice playing against Cristiano even if it was difficult. I enjoyed winning cups when he was at Madrid. It would be nice if he were still there. ...

"I have a lot of respect for Juventus; I think they are a very strong team, with very good players – and with the arrival of Cristiano, even more so. With the victory against Atletico Madrid they've got a big advantage. But I hope we can be there too."

With Ronaldo and Messi on different sides of the UEFA Champions League draw at the quarter-final stage, there is also a chance of the two players meeting in this season's final:

Both Messi and Ronaldo are considered the finest players of their generation, having excelled during their time in La Liga.

For each man, the presence of the other appears to have inspired more greatness, as they've continued to set incredible goalscoring standards and lift numerous major titles.

This graphic sums up just how far ahead of the rest Messi and Ronaldo have been in terms of goalscoring in the 21st century:

Unsurprisingly, the duo have held a stranglehold when it comes to individual honours, too, a duopoly that was only broken in 2018 by Ronaldo's former Real Madrid team-mate Luka Modric:

Both men have modified their playing style in recent years, and it's a testament to their talent they each remain decisive at the highest level. That much was evident in the recent Champions League knockout matches:

Messi continues to inspire at Barcelona, with 39 goals and 15 assists this term. In the team's previous clash before the international break, he scored a sensational hat-trick in a 4-1 win over Real Betis. The opposition supporters applauded and chanted the forward's name.

Ronaldo has been key to Juventus continuing to dominate Serie A, but showed his biggest strength in the Champions League, when his hat-trick against Atletico Madrid helped his side complete an incredible comeback to progress to the quarter-finals.