Ex-Chelsea star John Obi Mikel chooses between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

Former Nigeria captain and Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has claimed that Lionel Messi is a better player than Cristiano Ronaldo.

Messi and Ronaldo have established a duopoly since 2007 with both bagging countless awards and breaking innumerable records over the course of time. Collectively, the pair have won a whopping 12 Ballon d'Or on top of numerous league titles and continental competitions.

When asked about his opinion on the unending argument in a radio interview about who the better player is, Mikel said:

"Messi."

The 35-year-old midfielder has previously faced the PSG forward at both the youth and national team levels.

Mikel locked horns with Messi for the first time at the FIFA U20 World Cup in 2005 before meeting again at the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups. The ex-Super Eagles star has also crossed paths against the Argentine during his time at Chelsea.

In a career spanning around 17 years, Mikel has won two Premier League titles, three FA Cups, one UEFA Champions League trophy, one UEFA Europa League crown, and also a CAF Africa Cup of Nations at the international level.

Messi vs Ronaldo: A rivalry for the ages

The two forwards have won a combined total of 12 Ballon d'Or.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been at loggerheads with each other for more than 15 years, trying to outscore one another and win personal accolades like the much-acclaimed Ballon d’Or.

The pair dominated the scoring charts in La Liga for nine seasons from 2009 to 2018, playing for fierce rivals — Barcelona and Real Madrid. During that time, the Portuguese captain guided Los Blancos to three consecutive UEFA Champions League titles (and another one in 2014) and Messi led the Blaugrana to two European crowns in 2011 and 2015.

Messi currently plies his trade for Ligue 1 champions PSG while the Portuguese star plays for Premier League club Manchester United.