Barcelona star Lionel Messi is the best player in the world, according to club-mate Gerard Pique.
Pundits have been labelling Argentina international Messi as the best footballer in history after his four-goal dismantling of Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League.
Pique missed the victory over the Gunners, but is no doubt about the ability of the 2009 World Player of the Year and Ballon d'Or winner.
Messi is comfortably the globe's greatest in the view of Pique and, having played with Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United, he also thinks that the current Real Madrid ace has been left in the shadows.
"Leo (Messi) is the best in the world because he is decisive in his actions," Pique told Spanish media.
Spectacular"Cristiano is very spectacular, but now Leo is the No.1."
Ronaldo and Messi will go head-to-head in Saturday's El Clasico between Real and Pep Guardiola's Barcelona, which is being labelled as a Primera Liga title decider.
But Real midfielder Guti does not think that Barca's No.10 is the main concern for his team and thinks that Ronaldo is the better player.
"The two can win matches in just one phase of the game. Ronaldo is at the same level, if not better, than Messi," said Guti.
"He's Barca's most important player but if you ask Guardiola about Cristiano Ronaldo, I am sure he will tell you the same. We need to have a strategy that is anti Barca not only anti-Messi."
a.top_betting_link_1 {background-image: url('/Images/Skysports/Icons/skybet_logo.png');background-repeat:no-repeat;background-position:0% 50%;padding-left:68px;}Messi plays down comparisons