Man City ace John Stones gives verdict on Man United star Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi

Manchester City defender John Stones has revealed that he believes Lionel Messi is better than Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

The discussions surrounding Messi and Ronaldo have gone on for years, with neither camp willing to give an inch in the row of who is the better player. Messi has made 988 professional appearances, registering 780 goals and 339 assists, while Ronaldo has played 1132 times, scoring 816 goals and grabbing 231 assists.

However, Stones, who has come up against Portuguese international Ronaldo on one occasion - with City securing the win over United - has named his pick, insisting that there isn't a 'right or wrong' answer.

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When asked who he believes is the better player out of the Paris Saint-Germain star and the United great, Stones didn't hesitate to make his pick, despite reserving praise for both players.

"It's Messi for me," Stones said on GOAL's Kit Collector series. "I don't think there's any right or wrong, definitely personal preference. I wish I could be like Messi with a ball and what he can do and score goals.

"On the other hand, Ronaldo, what he brings physically, his goals, different types of goals. They're both so good, such good players."

While Stones has only faced off against Ronaldo once in his career, the England international has come up against Messi on three occasions in his career. The 28-year-old has played against the Argentine twice when he was at Barcelona, and once when he was at PSG.

He lost his first encounter against the forward 4-0 at the Camp Nou, but won 3-1 and 2-1 respectively in the past two clashes at the Etihad Stadium.

The former Everton defender was part of the City side that won 6-3