Jose Mourinho weighs in on Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi debate

Jose Mourinho has had his say in the debate between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, but refused to pick either one as the best.

Mourinho chose to praise both Ronaldo and Messi, in an interview to RT, saying that each one got extra motivation from the excellence of the other.

"I think they are lucky and unlucky to be in the same generation," he said. "They are lucky because they can compete against each other.

"They look to each other in a positive way and get extra motivation. If there was only one of them, they would have ten Golden Boots.

The current Tottenham Hotspur head coach said that both Messi and Ronaldo have raised the bar so much that it should act as a motivation for other players to challenge themselves.

Messi and Ronaldo have won every Ballon D'Or award since 2008, barring the one in 2018, which was taken home by Luka Modric.

It is likely that had the Ballon D'Or not been scrapped for 2020, neither Messi nor Ronaldo would have won it, in the aftermath of Robert Lewandowski's brilliant, record-breaking season for Bayern Munich, as the German giants completed a treble, after winning the UEFA Champions League in Lisbon, in August.

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Messi, Ronaldo should motivate younger generation, says Mourinho

Mourinho said that the likes of Neymar should be inspired by Messi and Ronaldo

Mourinho said that he was looking forward to how the younger generation managed to acquit themselves in the face of being compared to Messi and Ronaldo.

"Now, I think they have put the bar really high," Mourinho said.

"And you have the players coming behind, who I like to call the little monsters.

"The bar has to be high, so it has to be incredible motivation for Neymar, Kylian Mbappé and Antoine Griezmann.

"Unfortunately, Cristiano and Messi will not last forever."

Mourinho managed Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid, during his three-year stint with Los Blancos, when he managed to win a La Liga title.

In fact, it was during Mourinho's time in Madrid that the rivalry between Ronaldo and Messi blossomed, with the Portuguese manager also pitting his wits against Pep Guardiola.

For two players who have 11 Ballon D'Or awards between them, Messi and Ronaldo have nothing left to prove on any stage, even as the latest chapter in the rivalry takes shape in the group stages of this season's UEFA Champions League.

Barcelona and Juventus have been drawn together in Group G, alongside Dynamo Kyiv and Ferencvaros.