Barcelona have responded to Cristiano Ronaldo's claims that he is the greatest of all-time.
The Portuguese superstar's fifth Ballon d'Or win means he is now tied with Lionel Messi and in an interview with France Football, wasn't short of spraying his self-confidence about and was adamant no-one comes close to him in the beautiful game.
Image: PA
"I don't see anyone better than me," Ronaldo said.
"No player does things I cannot do myself but I see things others can't do. There's no more complete player than me. I'm the best player in history - in the good and the bad moments."
Unsurprisingly though, those at Barcelona do not take the view that the Ronaldo is the best there ever is, the best there ever was and the best there ever will be (hope you enjoy the Bret Hart reference there).
Spokesman Josep Vives congratulated Ronaldo on his success after scooping the gong, but is in no doubt in his mind, that the greatest player ever to play the great game of football, is Messi - who has now scored 525 goals for the Blaugrana.
"Respect to the Ballon d'Or and to Cristiano Ronaldo," he said at a press conference.
"We have always considered him a great player and a great competitor.
"But here at the Camp Nou, we can see the best player in history every 15 days, which is Messi."
You simply cannot get away from the endless comparisons between the two - and any conversation that involves talking about one of them, almost always sees the other getting a mention.
Image: PA
This season, you'd have to say that it's Messi who has the edge on Ronaldo. CR7 has made Champions League history by scoring in every single group game and boasting a tally of nine in six games, but has notched just four in La Liga after a slow start.
Meanwhile, Messi has 18 in all competitions and equalled Gerd Muller's long-standing record on Sunday when he became only the second player to score 525 goals for one club in one of Europe's top five leagues.
The healthy rivalry between the two will no doubt continue for a few more years and Ronaldo is more than happy with it.
Reflecting after winning the Ballon d'Or last Thursday, he explained:
"Trophies help win these awards and we have to thank my colleagues from Madrid and Portugal, it was very important for me.
"I hope to play at this level for a few more years, I hope the battle with Messi continues, things happen for a reason.
"I feel good this season and we'll see what we win at the end of the year."
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: FC Barcelona, Lionel Messi, Ballon d'Or, Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid