Former Barcelona right-back Dani Alves says he is a huge admirer of Cristiano Ronaldo but that Lionel Messi is in “another world”.
The Brazilian came up against the 37-year-old many times during his stint in Spain. Direct comparisons between Ronaldo and Messi have been drawn throughout their careers, the height of this debate coming during their time in La Liga.
Alves puts Messi above Ronaldo in his pecking order but admitted he hugely respects the Manchester United striker for his successes, despite once having a "scuffle". READ MORE: Ruben Neves gives Cristiano Ronaldo verdict amid Manchester United speculation "I love Cristiano," he said, as per Marca. "Now that we are no longer at Barca and Madrid I can speak, because it always seemed like I couldn’t. "Cristiano exemplifies, for all of us who don’t have that much quality, that with hard work you can also compete against the best.
I respect him a lot and I had the opportunity to tell him.” He added: "There came a time because of the rivalry that I went up to greet him and he didn’t greet me.