According to former Italy international, Gianluca Zambrotta, both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are "extraordinary players", but the former is more charismatic.
There has been a long debate about who is better between the two superstars who have shared the Ballon d''Or award amongst themselves for the past six years.
And Zambrotta, who spent two seasons at Camp Nou between 2006 and 2008, and praised the duo as super stars, admits he knew instantly that Messi was something special.
"I arrived in Barcelona in 2006 and Messi was still young," he told Goal at the Eracle Sports Centre in Como.
"But his talent was immediately clear, he was in another league - he was already effective and decisive. He is very simple as a person and effective on the pitch."
"Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are both extraordinary players," he said.
"They are able to score 60 to 70 goals per season each. However, they’re pretty different from each other, with different skills and characteristics. Probably Messi is more a player that can solve a game at any time. Ronaldo does as well, but Messi has more of the charisma of Maradona, in my opinion."
Messi and Ronaldo will go head to head, yet another time, when Madrid and Barca meet in the Spanish La-Liga on October, 26.