The debate about who the best player in the world is seems eternal, but there is little debate that the conversation starts and ends with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

In fact, take it a step further. Those two men could rightfully be regarded as two of the greatest ever, let alone today.

All things considered, they have a rightful claim to the all-time mantle.

Messi has five Ballon d'Or awards to his name in addition to scored 614 goals in 763 games. He has also won La Liga eight times and the Champions League four times.

Ronaldo also has five Ballon d'Or awards, but he has 624 goals in 888 games - with 422 in 416 at Real Madrid. He has won three Premier League titles, two La Liga titles and has four Champions League triumphs to his name. However, he has also won the European Championships with his native Portugal.

Those two players are decorated beyond belief. Nobody else has a record close to them in this day and age, so they must be two of the greatest ever, right?

Wrong, apparently. According to the original Ronaldo - winner of two Ballon d'Or awards himself - they wouldn't have dominated like they have today when he was playing.

"In my generation, the competition was much bigger than it is now, without wanting to belittle Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo," said Ronaldo.

"They will fight for the title of the best player in the world in the coming years, but in my time we had [Zinedine] Zidane, Rivaldo, [Luis] Figo, me, and then Ronaldinho.

"That was a generation in which being the best was much more difficult."

Does he have a point? Sure, they were great players that he mentioned, but it's not like there aren't great players today.

Andreas Iniesta has been a top, top player for a decade. Neymar has arrived on the scene in recent years and Xavi was another man who came inside the top three a few times.

However, nobody comes close to their goalscoring exploits at the highest level and that's what truly makes a great player, along with trophies. Nobody Ronaldo mentioned, even the great man himself, can quite compare to that.

Domestically, anyway.