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Ahead of tonight's El Clasico, footballing legend Pele has answered the question on everyone's lips. He believes Barcelona's Lionel Messi is better than Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo.
"At the moment people always try to compare Ronaldo with Messi [but] it's a different style," the Brazilian three-time World Cup winner said.
"They are two great players. But in the past 10 years the best in the world was Messi."
The Argentine Messi has won four Ballon d'Or's, while Ronaldo has won three.
Show all 20 1 /20Pele: Life in pictures Pele: Life in pictures Life in pictures Pele (left) burst onto the world scene as a 17-year-old in 1958
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Pele: Life in pictures Life in pictures Pele celebrates with goalkeeper Gylmar Dos Santos Neves after winning the World Cup in 1958
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Pele: Life in pictures Life in pictures Pele was also musical, here he is photographed playing the piano after his team Santos had beaten Roma in 1961
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Pele: Life in pictures Life in pictures Brazil lifted their second World Cup in 1962, and as was the case throughout their most dominant era, it was Pele they had to thank
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Pele: Life in pictures Life in pictures Pele (left) enjoys a chat with Eusebio da Silva Ferreira in Lisbon, Portugal in 1963 when he was playing for Santos. The same year he led the team to victory in the Copa Libertadores
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Pele: Life in pictures Life in pictures Pele and Moore embrace in 1970 in one of football’s iconic images
Pele: Life in pictures Life in pictures Pele in 1970 at his fourth World Cup. He was a remarkable force at the height of his powers
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Pele: Life in pictures Life in pictures Jairzinho, Tostao, Rivelino and of course Pele (centre) celebrate after the the Carlos Alberto goal in 1970 at the World Cup. The competition is widely regarded as the greatest finals competition in history
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Pele: Life in pictures Life in pictures Pelé celebrates after Brazil won the 1970 World Cup final against Italy, 4-1, in Mexico City
Pele: Life in pictures Life in pictures Italian footballer Chinaglia with Pele in the New York Cosmos changing room, in 1976. Pele came out of semi-retirement to play in the North American Soccer League the year before
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Pele: Life in pictures 3pele.jpeg The Brazilian maestro in 1981. Not only had a deft touch with the ball, but also the guitar. He released several albums in Brazil and sang over some woozy samba melodies
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Pele: Life in pictures Life in pictures Pele in 1982 in 'Escape to Victory', a film about a group of prisoners of war in a German camp during the Second World War, who are forced to play an exhibition match
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Pele: Life in pictures Life in pictures Pele with Nelson Mandela in 1995
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Pele: Life in pictures Life in pictures Bobby Charlton and Pele during a Press Conference prior to the start of the 1996 European Football Championship draw at the International Conventional Centre in Birmingham, England, 1995
Pele: Life in pictures Life in pictures Cristiano Ronaldo (right) receives the Ballon d'Or award from Pele in 2008
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Pele: Life in pictures Life in pictures Pele in Downing Street in 2011
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Pele: Life in pictures Life in pictures Former Brazillian soccer player, Pele, waves to the crowd prior to the international friendly match between Brazil and Portugal at Gillette Stadium in 2013 in the US
Pele: Life in pictures Life in pictures Brazilian football legend Pele stands next to Real Madrid's Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo and his son Cristiano Ronaldo Junior as Ronaldo wins the 2013 Ballon d'Or award for player of the year during the FIFA Ballon d'Or award in January 2014
Pele: Life in pictures Life in pictures Pele at the opening of the Pele Museum in Santos, Brazil in June 2014
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Pele: Life in pictures Life in pictures Pele at an event in Rio de Janeiro in September 2014
Messi will face Ronaldo at the Nou Camp later on tonight, with Barcelona leading Real Madrid at the top of La Liga by one point.
Pele was at Anfield for Liverpool vs Manchester United (GETTY IMAGES) Pele, 74, continued: "Bobby Charlton, Bobby Moore, George Best - they were the same level as Messi. We had in Brazil Zico, Rivaldo."
Pele won the World Cup in 1958, 1962 and 1970, and was regarded by many as the greatest player of his generation.
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