Argentina's Lionel Messi celebrates scoring their goal during their 2014 World Cup Group F soccer match agaonst Iran at the Mineirao stadium in Belo Horizonte
Argentina's Lionel Messi celebrates scoring their goal during their 2014 World Cup Group F soccer match agaonst Iran at the Mineirao stadium in Belo Horizonte June 21, 2014. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger

Legendary French footballer Thierry Henry fuelled the Messi-Ronaldo debate even further as he said that Lionel Messi was a better player than Cristiano Ronaldo.

There have been numerous comparisons between the Argentine playmaker and the Portuguese player. Fans of both these players often fight about one's brilliance over the other. Even major personalities like Pele, the iconic footballer from Brazil, commented on his opinion about who was better. Henry, who also played in FC Barcelona in the Spanish League just like Messi, said that Ronaldo was no match to the talent of the Argentine forward. He has also said that Luis Suárez, the latest import to Barcelona from Uruguay, is the best striker in the world at the moment.

Ronaldo beat Messi to win the Ballon d'Or in 2013 even though it was Messi who won it in the previous 3 occasions. Ronaldo could not manage to take his team to the knock-out stages in the FIFA World Cup 2014 as Portugal was eliminated in the group stages. Messi, on the other hand, took Argentina to the final. He also won the Golden Ball which was given to the most valuable player of the tournament.

Henry, who was a major part of France's victorious campaigns in the 1998 FIFA World Cup and the UEFA Euro 2000, played with Messi in Barcelona. He said that nobody in the world, let along Ronaldo, could match his former teammate in terms of footballing talent. "Lionel Messi is the best player in the world but I respect the amount of work Cristiano Ronaldo has put into the game," Henry told English defender Rio Ferdinand on BBC, "But Messi is just a freak. It is nice for kids to watch as they can see one guy who was given a gift and the other guy who does it through hard work." Henry said that Messi was "more natural" than Ronaldo who was an extremely hard working player.

Henry also praised Suárez who, according to him, would be grand success in the Spanish League. "He knows how to score goals," he said.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au