Cafu gives his verdict on the Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo debate; reveals key difference between the duo

What's the story?

Marcos Evangelista de Morais or Cafu, one of the most distinguished defenders of his generation, has given his two cents on the eternal and raging Lionel Messi v Cristiano Ronaldo debate, hailing the Argentina and Barcelona talisman as the undisputed superior player.

In case you didn't know...

Cafu is Brazil's most capped player and one of the most successful Selecao players as well, having won two World Cups and two Copa Americas with them.

Ronaldo has now won two major honors with Portugal in his career and has managed to lead his side to victory in two out of the three finals he's taken part in almost singlehandedly.

On the other hand, Messi had taken part in four finals with the Albiceleste and ended up being on the losing side on each of those occasions.

It is sometimes hard to believe that the players are both aged above 30, as their performances reveal that they are showing no sign of slowing down.

The superstars who've won five Ballon d'Ors apiece have moved one step closer to cementing their place as greatest of all time. Both of them took their individual goal tally on club level to over 600 this season, matching the legends like Puskas, Pele, and Romario in the process.

The heart of the matter...

Ahead of the high-profile Copa America clash between Argentina and Brazil, Cafu spoke to beinSPORTS about the biggest threat for his nation, that is Lionel Messi.

He declared Messi as one of the greatest players he's seen, while also making it clear that when choosing between Messi and Ronaldo, he will always vote for the former, as he is technically superior to the Portuguese. He said:

"Nowadays it is very difficult to defend Messi. For me Messi is one of the best football players of our time. Some people say that about Cristiano Ronaldo. I would say that technically Messi is superior than Ronaldo."

He also warned Brazil that on his day, it will be extremely difficult to defend against the 32-year-old player. He continued:

"It is extremely complicated to defend Messi, especially if he is having one of 'his' days. And, against Brazil I believe he will want it to be having one of those days."

What's next?

Brazil and Argentina will go head to head not only for the chance to progress through to the final, but also for the bragging rights in the epic rivalry at the Mineirao on Wednesday morning at 06:00 IST.