Deco had an extraordinary career in professional football.

The Portuguese midfielder played for the likes of Porto, Barcelona and Chelsea and enjoyed great success at all.

He ended his career in 2012 having won 20 major honours at club level, including a Champions League triumph for both Porto and Barcelona.

Having played at the highest level for much of his career, Deco got the opportunity to play with some of the game's greatest ever players.

At Barcelona, he played with the likes of Ronaldinho, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Carles Puyol and Lionel Messi.

At Chelsea, he played with some top players such as Didier Drogba, John Terry and Frank Lampard.

And with Portugal, he played with Luis Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo.

But who does Deco count as the best player he ever played with?

The 41-year-old was asked that question in an interview with AS, and you would expect him to go with either Ronaldo or Messi.

But, interestingly, Deco decided against naming either of them and maintained that Ronaldinho will always be the best.

He said: "From the outset, it is clear that Leo and Cristiano are the greatest.

"Especially because no one thought they could take so many years to this level, but the one that impressed me most despite not being so decisive was Ronnie.

"For me, he will always be the best.

"We met in Barcelona and immediately connected with him, the moments I lived with him are difficult to compare to anything. It was magical."

To be fair, that's still a very good choice.

Ronaldinho was an absolute magician during his career; especially during his time at Barcelona.

Unfortunately, his time at the top was curtailed due to his lavish lifestyle, with his attitude to the game always coming into question.

But, his natural talent was almost unparalleled, and it can be said that if he had the same motivation as Messi and Ronaldo to be the best, he really could have gone down as one of the best of all time.