Pele picks between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, and he has no doubts

Choosing between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi is always a difficult task... although the assorted FIFA officials, coaches, captains, journalists (and fans) plumped for Ronaldo for this year's BEST FIFA Men's Player of the Year Award it is never easy when you have to consider the entire gamut of the two players long, illustrious careers.

Messi or @Cristiano... who would you pick? ?@Pele tells us his opinion! ? pic.twitter.com/F7g2HiMmbH

— Dugout (@Dugout) October 23, 2017

Read, Also - BEST FIFA Men's Player 2017: Who voted for Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Neymar?

Pele, though, never shies from voicing his opinion, and on the eve of the BEST FIFA Awards, and his 77th birthday incidentally, he gave his views on modern football's greatest debate.

For those who can't view the video, this is what he said to Dugout - who posted the video on Twitter yesterday -

"Cristiano Ronaldo is excellent but he is a scorer, a forward... Messi, he scores goals ok, but he is more for the organised team. Then I say, ok, both are fantastic, but you can not compare."

"You have a Ronaldo to a Ronaldinho, it was almost the same style, but it's a different style, to me over the last 15 years, no doubt Messi is the best player"

Of course, this is a question he changes opinion over frequently enough - naming Ronaldo the best earlier this year - “Ronaldo has come through for the past two or three years and is the best in Europe. I think at the moment no doubt Ronaldo is the best.” while plumping for Messi and even Neymar at different points of time... to be fair to the great man, though, he did add the disclaimer that this over the past 15 years, and that he has rated Leo Messi's consistency over the past decade as higher than his arch-rival Cristiano.

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Do you agree with the man who is arguably the greatest ever to play the Beautiful game? Why don't you leave us your opinion int he comments section?