'I love Cristiano Ronaldo' - Dani Alves gives verdict on Manchester United ace vs Lionel Messi

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. There was a controversy that never came out, but in the Ballon d’Or dressing room we had a ‘scuffle’, I greeted everyone and he didn’t greet me because of what Barca-Madrid was generating outside.”

Alves said he identifies more with Ronaldo than Messi due to the Argentine being born with a natural ability that no one can compete with. He praised Ronaldo for his work ethic and unrelenting drive.

He added: "How can I not respect a guy who got everything based on work? I identify with him because everything I did in my life was based on that.

“If you made a comparison, as a player, I am closer to Cristiano than to Leo because of the work, not because of the talent, because Leo is a