Who is the greatest player of this generation: Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo?

It’s the question football fans have been asking for the previous decade.

The two superstars have shared the Ballon d’Or over the past 10 years and that duopoly shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.

But with five Ballon d’Ors each to their name and countless honours, who is better?

The answer will vary depending on who you speak to.

But it’s the opinion of the nine lucky players to have played with both Messi and Ronaldo that should really be listened to.

The likes of Angel di Maria, Gerard Pique, Henrik Larsson and Deco have been fortunate enough to share a dressing room with both Messi and Cristiano during their career.

And another man that has had that honour has recently spoken out about the real difference between the two players.

Carlos Tevez spent two years at Manchester United with Ronaldo, while he’s represented Argentina alongside Messi.

And he’s just highlighted the one big difference between the two superstars.

"Messi, I never saw him in the gym,” Tevez said.

“I’ve never seen him train on the weights or do technical exercises. It is all natural to him, but on penalties he trained: first he did not take them but now he shoots them all at the corner.”

And what about Ronaldo?

“Cristiano always stopped in the gym after training: for him it is an obsession and being the best in everything he always arrived at work,” Tevez revealed. 

“When the training was set for 9 in the morning I arrived at 8 and he was already there and even if I arrived at 7.30 he was already there. 

"I came to ask myself, "How can I get rid of this guy?" So one day I arrived at 6 but also that time he was already there. Sleepy, but it was there."

Brilliant.

Tevez has summed up the difference between the two players brilliantly.

Ronaldo has worked incredibly hard to become the player he is, while Messi may be more naturally gifted.

That’s not to say one player is better than the other, though…