The Lionel Messi v Cristiano Ronaldo debate surfaced on Gary Lineker’s Twitter timeline - not for the first time - on Sunday evening.

When a fan told him that Ronaldo is “much better” than Messi, the Match of the Day host responded by telling the follower that he has little understanding of football.

Lineker later said to a journalist who believes Ronaldo is the superior player: “Ronaldo is a pure goalscorer. You could argue the best, especially the last few years.

“Messi, though, scores as many as CR but he’s also the best dribbler and passer in the world. He’s joyous to watch. There really is no comparison.”

The debate was sparked after Messi scored his 400th La Liga goal in Barcelona’s 3-0 win against Eibar.

Despite both entering their thirties, both players are performing at an extraordinarily high level.

And the fact that Ronaldo’s move to Juventus means he no longer competes directly with Messi hasn’t diluted the debate one bit.

Dybala on Messi v Ronaldo

Many former and current players have weighed in but Paulo Dybala’s opinion is significant because he’s played with both.

The 25-year-old has featured alongside Messi for Argentina and lines up week in, week out with Ronaldo at Juventus.

Dybala has provided his take on the duel and while he didn’t name the better player, his thoughts remain interesting.

“I am lucky enough to have Cristiano at my club and Leo in my national team,” Dybala said, per AS.

“But it’s impossible to make a comparison between the two of them or say who is the best because they are at a level on a par with each other and well above everybody else and that has been the case for several years.

“They are different, they have enormous influence because they can decide games on their own and because of the effect they have on the opposition.

“Cristiano is an example to follow in training and in his daily life, you can learn a lot from him.”

It’s clear just how much Dybala respects Messi and Ronaldo.

You get the sense that he enjoys every second of being in their company.