We’re not even in May yet and it seems the 2019 Ballon d’Or has already been sewn up.

Lionel Messi may have failed to lead Barcelona to Copa del Rey or Champions League glory but his performances during this calendar year have been sensational.

The Argentine superstar scored 36 goals in 34 La Liga appearances this season, helping Ernesto Valverde’s side romp to the league title.

He may turn 32 in June, but there’s little doubt Messi is still the best player in the world.

That’s certainly the opinion of legendary Brazilian Ronaldo anyway.

The former Real Madrid striker was asked about the five players he enjoys watching the best. While he insisted Messi was the best, there was no mention of his namesake, Cristiano Ronaldo.

"Messi, of course, he is number one, it is a talent that we will take 20 or 30 years to see something similar,” he told AS.

“I also like Salah, Hazard, Neymar, I love watching him play and of course Mbappe.”

CR7 may not be too impressed with that list.

But Ronaldo went on to speak about the last name in that list - Kylian Mbappe.

The Paris Saint-Germain wonderkid has often been compared to Ronaldo.

But Ronaldo himself doesn’t like comparing two players from different generations.

"It says a lot of people who look like me, it has a lot of speed, it finishes well, it has great movements, it hits excellent with both legs, it has an incredible stride," Ronaldo admitted.

"We have similar things, but I never liked comparisons, especially between players of different generations, because the situations are different."