Hernan Crespo uses Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal example to explain why Lionel Messi is better than Cristiano Ronaldo 

The Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate has been raging in the football community for more than a decade, with fans of both players using various arguments to prove the superiority of their favorite.

The pair are considered the best players of this generation, and some feel they are even better than the legends of previous eras like Pele and Diego Maradona.

Former Chelsea and Argentina striker Hernan Crespo recently used an interesting example to compare the two. Crespo compared the dynamics between the footballers to a similar debate in the sport of tennis.

In tennis, three of the greatest - Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic - have played in the same era and all-three are strong competitors for the title of the greatest tennis player of all time.

Crespo said:

"I compare Messi and Ronaldo to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Both are great, great players, and we need to take off our hats for them. But your feeling when you watch Messi and Federer is different. Ronaldo and Nadal are still incredible at what they do, but, for me, Lionel Messi and Roger Federer are another level."

Nadal currently leads the trio with 22 Grand Slam titles, closely followed by Djokovic with 21. Federer retired in September this year with 20 Majors to his name.

Furthermore, Crespo wished Messi well in Argentina's upcoming semi-final clash against Croatia. He said that Argentinians view this World Cup as the PSG man's final opportunity to lift the trophy, saying:

"Our feelings as Argentinians are simple this year: we want Lionel Messi to win the World Cup, and then we want Argentina to win the World Cup."

Rafael van der Vaart gives his verdict on the Messi vs Ronaldo debate

Rafael van der Vaart weighed on football's GOAT debate.

Former Tottenham midfielder Rafael van der Vaart has given his thoughts on the GOAT debate in football. He said:

"I played against Messi. You couldn't catch him. You wanted to kick him but he was already gone. Now he is slower and he walks even more, but he can still give that crucial pass. Ronaldo relies on his body and goals but Messi is much more than just goals."

The Argentine is all set to face Croatia in the World Cup semi-final while Ronaldo's Portugal were sent home by Morocco in disappointing fashion in the quarter-finals.