Lionel Messi news: 'Barcelona superstar is way ahead of Ronaldo,' says LaLiga president Javier Tebas

What's the story?

LaLiga president Javier Tebas believes that Barcelona ace Lionel Messi is "way ahead of" Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo when it comes to being the best player in the world.

In case you didn't know...

Since coming back from injury, Messi has been in phenomenal form for the Catalan giants, recently becoming the first player in Europe to achieve a fifty-goal tally in 2018.

His exploits at the Ciutat de Valencia on Sunday saw the Argentine maestro register a record hattrick and two assists. The goals helped him surpass former teammate Xavi Hernandez's record as the player with the most wins in the history of Barcelona.

Messi was yesterday presented with the Golden Shoe for his goal-scoring spree for the title-holders in the 2017/18 season, where he netted 34 goals in 36 appearances.

The heart of the matter

LaLiga chief Tebas, who is a Real Madrid fan, has heaped praise on the Barcelona talisman, comparing him to former Los Blancos star Cristiano Ronaldo.

According to Sport English, Tebas said, "Anyone who saw the game against Levante, is a football fan and takes off their club colours, we have to open our eyes and say that Messi's the best player in the world by a difference."

"it doesn't matter what team you support, if you criticise Messi and say he's not the best in the world currently, you don't understand football."

When asked about Messi in relation to Ronaldo, he added, "In this era now he's way ahead of Ronaldo. That's now always been the case in other seasons. But he's leading Barcelona. He keeps taking on responsibility, seemingly with a new-found youth. He's at an incredible level."