“He is the best of all time” - Kaka makes unambiguous choice while answering whether he will pick Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo’s phone call first

Brazilian legend and one-time Ballon d'Or winner Kaka has recently made his choice clear in the unending Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo debate. The former AC Milan midfielder revealed that he believes that the former Barcelona man is the best footballer of all time.

In terms of individual awards in football, Kaka marked the bridge between the pre-Ronaldo-Messi era and the era dominated by the superstar duo. While at AC Milan, he won the Ballon d'Or in 2007, and was the last man to win the accolade before 11 successive years of Ronaldo-Messi dominance.

Kaka enjoyed a hugely successful individual season by the standards of the time, helping AC Milan win the UEFA Champions League in 2006-07 and the UEFA Super Cup. He scored in the grou stages, the Round of 16, quarterfinals and semifinals, and provided an assist for the winner in the final against Liverpool, and scored in the Super Cup.

The Brazilian star played alongside Ronaldo at Real Madrid after both joined the Spanish giants in 2009. Their journeys at the club went differently, as Kaka's powers were already waning and Ronaldo was just about to enter the peak of his powers.

Kaka played against Messi several times in his career, and believes the Argentinean to be a greater footballer than his Portuguese rival. Speaking to AC Milan World, the retired superstar used an interesting analogy to indicate his preference for the diminutive Argentinean.

"It's a difficult question, and I love both of them very much, but I will answer Messi first. He is the best of all time," he said.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka spent four years as teammates at the Santiago Bernabeu, winning the 2011 Copa del Rey, as well as the 2012 La Liga title.

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Cristiano Ronaldo overtakes Lionel Messi with Al-Fateh goal

As per Sports Illustrated, Cristiano Ronaldo has overtaken rival Lionel Messi for non-penalty career goals after he scored once against Al-Fateh at the weekend. The 39-year-old opened the scoring for Al-Nassr in their eventual 2-1 win over Al-Fateh to take his tally against them to four this season.

Ronaldo's goal was the 875th of his career, taking him 24 clear of Messi's career tally (821) so far. The pair had 713 non-penalty goals before the weekend, and the Portugal captain has now gotten a goal more to move clear of his rival.

Ronaldo has played 1206 career games for club and country, with 1001 coming for Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and Al-Nassr. Messi has played 1047 games for his various club sides, and is the most decorated footballer in history with 44 trophies.