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The debate over who between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi deserves to be considered the greatest player of his generation has dominated football’s landscape for the past 15 years.

When it comes to judging the duo’s respective merits and impacts, few are better placed than the original Ronaldo, a two-time Ballon d’Or winner and one of the greatest players the game has ever seen.

Speaking exclusively to Mail Sport this weekend, the two-time World Cup winner had no hesitations in picking Messi when he was asked to choose between the Argentine and Ronaldo.

It is not the first time the Brazilian has endorsed Messi.

Speaking in October ahead of the Ballon d’Or ceremony, Ronaldo said the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star deserved the award after leading Argentina to lift the World Cup in 2022.

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‘The Ballon d’Or should go to him [Lionel Messi], without a doubt,’ he said.

‘What Messi did in the World Cup was special. It reminded me of the campaigns of Pelé and Maradona.’

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Messi duly picked up the Ballon d’Or for a record eighth time, beating Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe.

In his interview with Mail Sport, Ronaldo singled out the duo as the best strikers in world football and did not rule out they could one day be teammates in Madrid.

Mbappe revealed last month he will leave PSG at the end of the season as a free agent and is widely expected to join the Spanish giants.

Florentino Perez’s admiration for Haaland is also well known, with reports in Spain suggesting the Real Madrid president could test Manchester City’s resolve for the Norwegian sooner rather than later.

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The two-time World Cup winner also singled out Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe as the best strikers in world football

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‘Everyone is excited about Kylian Mbappe in Madrid. He is an amazing player,’ Ronaldo said.

‘He is going to be one of the best players in this moment. I think it’s a very good choice for him if he joins Madrid. I think he will finally get the Ballon d’Or if he joins Real.

‘We will see what happens with Mbappe at Real Madrid. One thing is for sure and that’s that we are going to enjoy a lot more of Mbappe for the coming years.’

Pairing Mbappe with Haaland would usher in a second Galacticos era at Madrid, two decades after the likes of Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo and David Beckham joined arrived at the Bernabeu.

‘Real Madrid’s policy is to have the best players in the world. Haaland is one of the best players in the world. Everyone wants to have Haaland. He is at an unbelievable club,’ Ronaldo said.

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Ronaldo is excited about watching Mbappe join Real Madrid at the end of the season

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Ronaldo has not ruled out the possibility Real could pair Haaland with Mbappe

‘City are doing an amazing job, I think he is very happy there at the moment. But, we will see. I hope we can see all of those players together in the one club. It will remind me of the Galacticos if they all [Haaland, Mbappe and Jude Bellingham] do end up at Real Madrid.

‘If it happens [them all signing for Real Madrid], it’s going to be crazy. Watching Real Madrid playing with all of those players together. It will be an unbelievable team that will achieve remarkable things.

‘But I think it’s going to be a great challenge for Carlo Ancelotti to manage all of those players. But, putting good players together is easier than putting bad players together. It won’t be too much of a problem for the coach.’