Barcelona star Gerard Pique says Lionel Messi is 'not human' in comparison to Cristiano Ronaldo

Barcelona centre-back Gerard Pique has called former Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo the "best human" player in the world – as he does not consider Lionel Messi a human. The 29-year-old also confirmed his plans to hang his boots up with the Catalan outfit, but admitted he wished he could have had an opportunity to prove his ability in the English game.

Pique shared the dressing room with Ronaldo during his spell at United, after he moved to the Old Trafford academy from La Masia in 2004. The centre-back enjoyed a good relationship with the Portuguese player before they became fierce rivals in La Liga.

The Spaniard has never hidden his admiration for the Real Madrid star, but asked by Rio Ferdinand during an interview with BT Sport to decide who is the best between Ronaldo and his current teammate Messi, the Barcelona star said: "I think they are both amazing. We are talking about two of the best players, not just in the world, but the history of this sport."

"I always said that Messi has some talent that no one has. I mean, he has the ball and his speed controlling the ball. The ball doesn't go two metres away from his foot, it's always there. It's impossible to catch him, this talent I don't see from anyone.

"Cristiano Ronaldo is such a different player, they are very different. He is really tall, strong, he's really complete. He can do anything. He can do goals with the head, free-kicks, penalties, take people on one on one...

"But Messi... I always said that for me it's like Messi is not human, but Cristiano is the best of the humans."

Ferdinand played a big part in Pique's decision to move back to Barcelona in 2008, as the Spaniard was unable to break into Sir Alex Ferguson's first team due to the presence of the former England international and Nemanja Vidic in the heart of defence.

Pique says his style suits the Spanish game better, but is convinced he could have had similar success in the Premier League.

"I think the Spanish style of play is much better for me, but I think that I could play in England," the Barcelona defender added. "We will never know because I will try to retire here at Barcelona and I'm not expecting to go back to England but it's always something that's kept in my head that one day I'd like to try and see if I could succeed there."