"The best that's ever lived" - Peter Crouch brilliantly weighs in on Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate

Peter Crouch has opined on the Cristiano Ronaldo v Lionel Messi debate whilst picking his dream Champions League XI.

The former England forward was tasked by BT Sport with selecting 11 players who would make his 'Dream Playing XI' from the all-time Champions League list.

Crouch set up his team with four defenders, four midfielders, and two forwards - Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Speaking of Messi, he said (on BT Sport reported via Givemesport):

"Lionel Messi picks himself. For me, he's the best that's ever lived. As a footballer, as a technician, as someone who goes past you and excites you and scores the goals that he's done, there's no one better."

Coming over to Ronaldo, the former Liverpool forward said:

"He's the greatest goalscorer that's ever lived and that's a fact. He went from being a bit of a show-pony to developing into a relentless goalscorer. To go from that to bang: 40 goals a season every year, minimum, for however long he's done it is unbelievable."

The final XI of Crouch's team was: Manuel Neuer, Cafu, Sergio Ramos, Paolo Maldini, Roberto Carlos, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Steven Gerrard, Zinedine Zidane, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated world football in the last decade

Both footballers are considered to be amongst the best to have ever played the game. They have won a collective total of 12 Ballons d'Or in the last 13 years.

Their goalscoring prowess has helped their respective teams win titles galore. Messi has tasted Champions League success on four occasions, while Ronaldo has lifted the trophy five times.

Ronaldo is also the highest goal-scorer in the history of the competition (140).

Messi, currently 34, plays for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and will be keen to reconquer the Champions League next season. They lost to Real Madrid in the round of 16.

Meanwhile, Manchester United re-signed Cristiano Ronaldo last summer and he has scored 24 goals in all competitions this season. Six of those strikes have come in the Champions League in seven games.

United were ousted by Atletico Madrid in the round of 16 as well. With United set to finish outside the top four, Ronaldo could miss out on the Champions League next season after 20 consecutive seasons in the competition, including qualifying.