Marco van Basten makes damning judgement on Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

Dutch football legend Marco van Basten has weighed on in the much-discussed debate surrounding Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, as the 55-year-old described the Argentine as a unique talent. Speaking to Corriere della Sera, van Basten acknowledged that while Ronaldo is a fantastic player in his own right, Messi brings something different to the table, going on to describe the Barcelona forward as one of a kind.

"Cristiano is a great player. But whoever claims he's stronger than Messi doesn't understand football or is in bad faith. Messi is unique. Inimitable and unrepeatable. Like him, one every fifty years. As a child, he fell into the pot of football genius"

In December 2019, Messi became the first player in the history of the game to win the Ballon d'Or for a record-breaking sixth time, which is one more than what Ronaldo has managed throughout his glittering career.

Marco van Basten weighs in on the Messi vs. Ronaldo debate 👀 pic.twitter.com/BybZpazC05

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) February 29, 2020

The duo are widely regarded as two of the greatest players in the modern era and van Basten's damning assessment has divided opinion. While Messi's numbers make for better reading, Ronaldo has proved his mantle in three different countries across Europe's top five leagues and has won everything there is to win at club level.

Aside from that, the 35-year-old also won the Euro 2016 crown with Portugal, while international honours have continued to elude Messi and Argentina in recent times. Van Basten, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest strikers to grace the game, has made his thoughts clear with regard to who he prefers, as he sang the Argentine's praise spectacularly.