Cristiano Ronaldo: 'I am better than Lionel Messi'

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has said that, 'in his mind', he is a better player than Barcelona's Lionel Messi.

Ronaldo and Messi are widely considered as the two top players in the modern game and two of the best individuals to ever play the sport.

Talk regarding who is a better player has been a hot topic over the last three or four years, but Ronaldo is in no doubt as to who is the best player on the planet.

"[The comparisons with Messi] don't bother me. If you look at my last eight years, I've always been at the top. Name me another player who has," he told El Pais.

"The difference between number one and number two is a matter of detail, like whether you win trophies or not. Perhaps for you [journalists], Messi is the best, but in my mind I am."

Ronaldo, who has scored 326 goals in 313 games for Real Madrid, has won each of the last two Ballon d'Or trophies ahead of Messi.