The Brazilian legend has weighed in on the debate.

Ex-Barcelona superstar Ronaldinho has delivered his verdict on the never-ending debate on who the greatest football player of all-time is following Lionel Messi's sixth Ballon d'Or. With the Argentine tearing away from the pack as the one to have won the highest number of the coveted prize, many have touted him as the best the world has ever seen but his former teammate holds a different sentiment.

After picking up the Best FIFA Men's Player of the Year for his incredible individual record with Barcelona, the 32-year-old striker evaded competition from Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk and arch-nemesis Cristiano Ronaldo to clinch the 2019 Ballon d'Or in December. The win took the Argentine's title count to six in the last decade, making him the first and only player in history to have managed that much.

The everlasting debate of who of the greatest of all-time is rigorously resurfaced following Messi's award win but for the Barcelona star's former teammate Ronaldinho, he is not necessarily the best the world has ever seen. With five Ballon d'Or to his name, some fans regard Cristiano Ronaldo has the best-ever due to the reason of proving himself in every league he has featured in. Others still maintain that Pele and Maradona are still in a league of their own despite the success being enjoyed by Messi in this era.

"I am happy for Messi because he is a friend, in addition he is a symbol of Barcelona," Ronaldinho said according to RMC Sport.

"I don't like comparisons because it's difficult to identify who is the best in history, there are Diego Maradona, Pelé, Ronaldo. I cannot say that Messi is the best of all time, he is the best of his time."

The Barcelona No. 10 is still doing a lot of work to justify the tag of being in a league of his own. In the ongoing 2019/2020 season, the Argentine has registered 14 goals in 15 appearances in all club competitions.