The Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi debate is more alive than ever at the World Cup.Victory in football's biggest tournament would play a huge role for either player's legacy, particularly in the long-term, and it looks incredibly likely that the 2018 edition will be the final attempt for both men.As a result, there was always going to keen interest in exactly how Ronaldo and Messi fare.And, well, two games in and their form is diametrically opposed.Ronaldo is in the running for the Golden Boot after scoring four goals in his opening two fixtures, including a stunning hat-trick against a hotly fancied Spain team.

Messi vs Ronaldo debate

Meanwhile, Messi is yet to find the back of the net in Russia and missed a vital penalty in the 1-1 draw with Iceland.

Since then, Argentina have cast their future in the tournament in doubt with a terrible performance against Croatia that resulted in a 3-0 thrashing.

These developments have led to a spike in support for Ronaldo to be considered the greatest of all time, with this summer exemplifying his brilliant form over the last few years.

Just how much can we really take from the World Cup tournament, though?

It's definitely an interesting question and almost everybody in football has taken sides on the argument with some, like Roy Keane, even switching allegiances.

Balague posts eye-catching tweet

One of the most interesting tweets, though, has come from Spanish football expert Guillem Balague.

Using a set of statistics as his evidence, Balague argued that these two games shouldn't make a difference over the entire argument and that the numbers tell the whole story.

Check out the original tweet and his reply:

Can we get a mic drop for that?

Of course, the tweet has caused huge debate in the comments section and fans have found separate statistics that shine favourably upon Ronaldo.

The whole debate and discussion just goes to show how inseparably brilliant the two players are, however.

We are lucky to watch an era of football that boasts two of the greatest players in the game's history.

Nevertheless, as the biggest competition in the sport, the World Cup will always carry great weight and if Ronaldo can continue to inspire Portugal through the competition, he may have the upper hand.

Let's not forget that Messi reached the final in 2014, though, so he's still got a way to go.

We can't wait to see how things play out, watch this space.

Who do you think is the better player - Ronaldo or Messi? Have your say in the comments section below.