The 28 year-old was recently awarded the 2024 Ballon d'Or as recognition for a period in which he won the Champions League in 2023 and Euro 2024 with Spain the next year.

Ex-Barcelona man Messi has won three of the last four Ballon d'Ors prior to Rodri, with the midfielder claiming that the latter is the greatest "without any doubt" during an interview on Spanish TV.

"Lionel Messi is the greatest player of all time, without any doubt," Rodri said. "Cristiano has managed to match Messi without innate talent. But those of us who have played against them can see the difference. 

"We didn’t want Cristiano to step into the box because he was lethal there. But with Messi, the danger was everywhere on the pitch."

Ronaldo has scored 928 goals in his career for club and country, winning 34 major trophies including five Champions League titles. He has also won the Ballon d'Or on five occasions.

Messi, meanwhile, has scored 877 goals, won the Champions League on four occasions and the Ballon d'Or eight times, most recently in 2023.

Messi is now at Inter Miami, while Rodri is recovering from an ACL injury at Manchester City, although the two faced each other in LaLiga during the midfielder's spells at Villarreal and Atletico Madrid before his Premier League move.

"When Messi got the ball, you’d think: 'Oh, danger'," Rodri said. "When I first started playing against him, I tried to take the ball from him, and he dodged you as if you were a bull in the ring. The feeling I had was that something bad was about to happen."