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Lionel Messi is 'way above' Cristiano Ronaldo: Barcelona team-mate delivers verdict
LIONEL MESSI is a far better player than Cristiano Ronaldo, according to his Barcelona team-mate Malcom.
The debate over which of the multiple-time Ballon d’Or winners is the better player has raged on for several years.
Lionel Messi enthusiasts will tell you the Argentina international is a much more ‘skilled footballer’ and 'easier on the eye' than his Portuguese rival.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s die-hard fans, on the other hand, insist the former Manchester United man is the ‘complete player’ and a scorer of different types of goals.
One thing that’s for certain is the pair are two of the greatest players to have ever played the beautiful game and their goalscoring exploits will more than likely never be matched.
Malcom is a fan of both Messi and Ronaldo but believes there isn’t a debate when it comes to which man is the better player.
"He [Cristiano] is one of the best in the world right now but I think Messi is way above him,” the former Bordeaux man told Marca.
“I don't see him every day like Messi, but Messi is very natural. He can decide a match in two minutes."
Malcom’s opinion of Messi was only formulated after training and playing alongside the Barcelona legend.
He [Cristiano] is one of the best in the world right now but I think Messi is way above him
The Brazilian said: "Messi is going to be considered the best after Pele.
“I didn't think that before, but now that I've seen him closely, yes, I see how he works day by day and he is sensational.
"He never ceases to amaze me with the things he does.
"We know he can cut in from the left, but we don't know when, and then waiting for that exact angle, that exact moment.
"During the game he is looking at the defence, it's position and what he is going to do.
"It's amazing. It is a unique feeling to play with him.
"I have the day that Messi applauded my Champions League goal recorded, I will never forget it."
Lionel Messi and his Barcelona team-mates will be back in action on Saturday night when they welcome relegation-threatened Levante to the Nou Camp.