Brazilian icon Pele chooses between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

Widely regarded as the greatest footballer of all time, Pele's legend has continued to grow over the years. The Brazilian's exploits for club and country could remain unrivalled for years and he continues to inspire up and coming footballers globally.

The 79-year-old has never shied away from speaking his mind over the years and has also been vocal about the age-old debate between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Pele: "Cristiano Ronaldo is the modern athlete, who shows everyone that success always comes to those who are dedicated and love what they do."

— Bolarinwa Olajide (@iambolar) July 29, 2020

The pair are two of the best footballers in the modern era and have won a staggering 11 Ballon d'Or awards between them.

When asked about Messi and Ronaldo in March earlier this year, Pele said to YouTube channel Pilhado that the Portuguese star was the best player in the world at the time.

"Right now I think Cristiano Ronaldo is the most consistent player out there. You can't forget about Messi but he is not a striker"

Juventus v Tottenham Hotspur - 2019 International Champions Cup

Messi and Ronaldo continue to set the standard in world football

On a personal level, the 2019-20 league season is set to go down as an unwavering success for both Messi and Ronaldo.

Despite missing out on the La Liga title to Real Madrid, Messi topped the Spanish top-flight for goals as well as assists and was one of the best players in the league.

With 25 goals and 21 assists to his name, Messi enjoyed yet another stunning league season and single-handedly won points for Barcelona.

Lionel Messi was unable to prevent Barcelona from surrendering the La Liga crown

Also check out: All-time Messi vs Ronaldo stats

On the other hand, Ronaldo spearheaded Juventus to their ninth straight Serie A title, as the Bianconeri mathematically sealed the title with two games to spare. With a staggering 32 league goals to his name, Ronaldo has been in red-hot goalscoring form and has shown no signs of slowing down.

Pele took to Instagram to pay tribute to the Portuguese star, while he also congratulated his compatriots Alex Sandro, Douglas Costa and Danilo for winning the Scudetto.

"Cristiano Ronaldo is the modern athlete, who shows everyone that success always comes to those who are dedicated and love what they do."

Both Ronaldo and Messi will be in action next month, as the Champions League is set to resume with a changed format in Portugal.

The modern-day greats will look to pip one another to get their hands on club football's biggest prize, as they prepare to take on Lyon and Napoli respectively in the second leg of the round of 16 tie.

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