Sergio Aguero explains why Argentina captain Lionel Messi is clearly better than Cristiano Ronaldo

Manchester City legend Sergio Aguero has claimed that Argentina captain Lionel Messi is better than Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo due to his Golden Ball-worthy 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign.

Messi, 35, etched his name among the greatest players to have graced the sport by guiding Argentina to their third FIFA World Cup triumph earlier this week. He netted two goals and converted one penalty in the final shootout against France to complete his trophy collection.

Ronaldo, on the other hand, was shown the door in the quarter-final stage of the Qatar World Cup as Portugal were knocked out by Morocco. The 37-year-old is unlikely to re-appear in a FIFA World Cup.

During an interview with Stake, Aguero was asked whether he considered Messi the better of the two forwards. He responded:

"I don't think there's any doubt [that he's the greatest of his generation]. For me, there were no doubts before the World Cup and much less now. Cristiano has had an extraordinary career and is a complete athlete. But Leo clearly has been and is the best."

Aguero, who represented Argentina 101 times prior to his untimely retirement, also shared his thoughts on the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner's latest triumph at the grandest stage of football. He said:

"It's a reward for his tenacity, never giving up and always going for revenge along with a group of players and coaching staff who made up a true team. Leo was always a leader. You should have seen him on the field. Perhaps now he was more extroverted. But he never stopped being a lighthouse for the team."

Lauding the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstar, Aguero added:

"What's clear is that after winning the World Cup, as the leader of the team, he's in history and with all the honours. He has won it all. There's nothing left to prove. And he's in everyone's hearts."

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo named in Jamie Carragher's all-time GOAT list

Taking to Twitter, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher revealed his list of top-five greatest players of all time. He placed Lionel Messi at the top of the list, followed by Argentina legend Diego Maradona and Brazil great Pele in the second and third spots, respectively.

Carragher put Cristiano Ronaldo and France legend Zinedine Zidane in fourth and fifth positions, respectively. He later claimed that he could swap in Netherlands great Johan Cruyff in place of Zidane.

Messi has scored 793 goals and laid out 387 assists in 1003 games in his entire career. Ronaldo, meanwhile, has registered 819 goals and 266 assists in 1145 matches at both club and country levels.

So far, the pair have won a combined 12 Ballon d'Or awards.