Lionel Messi says Ronaldo is the best forward

The football world never stops debating over who is the world's best footballer. Every decade, a new player comes to the scene and makes football pundits talk about him. Lionel Messi is one of those greats. However, the Argentine thinks that one of the former footballers is the world's best forward.

In a recent interview, Messi claimed that former Real Madrid and Barcelona superstar Ronaldo Nazario is the greatest forward that the he ever saw. The Brazilian international played more than 500 club matches and scored 352 goals.

Besides winning the Ballon d'Or title twice, Ronaldo was also named FIFA World Player of the Year on three occasions. Ronaldo's double goals in the FIFA World Cup 2002 final against Germany ensured that his side lifted the Cup for a record 5th time.

The Barcelona megastar believes that the Brazilian is indeed the greatest forward to have ever stepped inside the football pitch. According to Fox Sports, Messi said, "Ronaldo was the best [forward] I saw in my life."

However, Messi's fans might not agree with their idol's statement. Most of them believe that it's the Argentine who should hold the title of the world's greatest player. Not only Messi, but Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo is also one of the main contenders for the title. It seems that the race between Messi and CR7 to become the G.O.A.T (Greatest of All-Time) has not yet reached its peak.

Remarkably, there hasn't been such a phenomenal pair in the world of football before. Together, CR7 and Messi have won 10 Ballon d'Or titles with each possessing 5 of them. This year, chances are high that one of these modern-day football maestros might surpass the other by adding one more title to his tally.

Over the years, other players like Pele, Diego Maradona, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldinho and Ronaldo had been at the center of the discussion. Fans around the world could never stop debating over which of these footballers are better than the others. The debate doesn't seem like it will end soon.