Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo may be in their 30s and entering the final years of their careers, but the debate of who is better rages on.

Ever since 2009, when Messi famously dethroned Ronaldo as the world's best player by winning the Ballon d'Or, they've been fiercely pitted against each other by football fans.

Picking between them is no easy task. Messi and Ronaldo are two of the greatest goalscorers ever seen, but beyond that they're entirely unique to each other.

Messi is the team player who looks to assist his teammates as well as score goals, whereas Ronaldo is an out-and-out poacher.

Everyone has their own opinion on the debate and back in July, Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone said Messi was his favourite.

"If I had to choose between Messi and Ronaldo then most likely I would choose Messi," said the Spaniard.

So it's clear that Messi vs Ronaldo is entirely subjective, but a more interesting debate perhaps is who would be better in an average team of players.

NO RIGHT ANSWER

Messi and Ronaldo have spent their careers playing with the world's best players, so how would they get on playing for a semi professional side, for example?

Simeone also answered that question in an interview with El Partidazo de COPE on Monday night and he gave his honest opinion.

For a bit of context, Simeone suggested in June that Messi is only better than Ronaldo when he's surrounded by extraordinary players.

So according to the 48-year-old, Ronaldo would be better than Messi in a 'bad' team.

"It was true, what I thought," said Simeone. "Messi shouldn't get annoyed. Ronaldo is a finisher inside the box, Lionel is a team player."

Well, there you have it. Messi is widely regarded as the greatest of all time, yet Simeone would rather pick Ronaldo in a bad team.

Guess there's only one way to find out.