KEY POINTS Wayne Rooney picks Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo

Rooney said Messi and Ronaldo will never be matched

Messi surpassed Ronaldo for most Ballon d'Or awards in history

Despite being former teammates with Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney is picking Lionel Messi over the Portuguese star. The 34-year-old played together with Ronaldo at Manchester United for five years, but not even his close relationship with the latter could influence his belief that the Argentine is the better player.

In his own piece at The Times, Rooney compared the soccer greats, regarding them as the two greatest players in the history of the game.

“Cristiano has become an incredible scorer and he and Messi are arguably the best two players the game has seen,” the English footballer wrote.

What puts Messi over Ronaldo according to him, however, is the FC Barcelona star's knack to stay poised while scoring with ease amidst pressure-packed situations.

"But despite my friendship with Cristiano, I’d go for Messi. It’s for the same reason I loved watching Xavi and Scholes: it’s the different things in Messi’s game,” Rooney added. "I’ve talked about composure and I can’t remember seeing Messi score when he has hit the ball as hard as he could. He just rolls them in, makes it so easy.”

Having played against Messi on several rival faceoffs in the Champions League with Ronaldo on his side, Rooney had a first-hand look on how each unleashed their distinctive games, which have put them at the level of greatness that no one can simply outmatch.

"Ronaldo is ruthless in the box, a killer. But Messi will torture you before he kills you. With Messi you just get the impression he is having more fun,” he continued. "Those two have completely changed the game in terms of goalscoring numbers and I don’t think they’ll ever be matched.”

The discussion will go on for as long as it could, and each stand could be as subjective as the others. In Rooney’s belief, though, Messi is steps ahead of Ronaldo.

As it stands, the Argentine has the most Ballon d’Or awards in history with six, having surpassed the Juventus forward as he brought home the latest Golden Ball in December. Messi is also La Liga’s all-time leader in goals and assists, while Ronaldo reigns at the top goal scorer in UEFA Champions League history.