New Delhi: The footballing universe has always pondered over the enduring Cristiano Ronaldo-Lionel Messi debate and here is Brazilian legend Pele to reveal his part of the answer.


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Since both coming under the limelight, the duo have been compared to one another with stats and numbers lined up to put one above the other on the list of the greatest player of this generation.


Taking a glance at the past one year, Cristiano Ronaldo has definitely added quite a lot to his already illustrious career. Winning nine titles in the last 372 days, to be precise, some of which includes the La Liga 2017 trophy, Balon d'Or award, Champions League trophy and the most delightful of all, the EURO Cup.


Talking about his Argentinian rival Lionel Messi, well, he had a rather disappointing season this time with Spanish giant Barcelona. Scoring 37 goals for the Catalan club, Messi once again bagged the European Golden Boot.


Often, some of the legends of the game have been given the offer to speak their heart out in favour of one, and most have declined, but such wasn't the case when Pele was asked. The 1970 World Cup winner came forth to say that presently it is Ronaldo who holds the upper edge over his arch-rival.


"No doubt. As I mentioned, I think today there’s no doubt the best player, the best scorer and the best forward is Cristiano Ronaldo," said Pele, in an interview with Yahoo Sports.


In a report in Daily Mail, the Brazilian legend is quoted as "At the moment the best player in the world is Ronaldo. I admire him, if I had to set up a national team he would be my first pick."


Praising the Portuguese international, Pele said, "Cristiano is higher up the pitch, more central, more direct, more for scoring. But what is important is he is a player who decides the game. He is a player who scores goals. That's the same."


"But we cannot compare with Cristiano because we were players who came from behind. We played deeper. He plays in front. He's more like (the Brazilian) Ronaldo. This you can compare," he added.


However, he did express his concern over the lack of competition that both Messi and Ronaldo face from rest of the footballers and that he felt is 'sad for football'.


The 76-year-old said, "I feel sorry because today and the last five years, you just mention two big stars. Some years ago, you had a lot of players."


He recalled, "George Best, Bobby Moore, Jairzinho, Bobby Charlton, Pele, Zico, Beckenbauer, Cruyff, Zidane, Maradona. Now you say Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi — Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi. It's not too good for football."