Barcelona legend Xavi has insisted that former teammate Lionel Messi will go down as the "best in history", despite Cristiano Ronaldo's recent claims.

After winning his fifth Ballon d'Or crown earlier this month to draw level with Messi, Ronaldo claimed that he is the 'most complete' player around and will go down as an all-time great.

Xavi believes that there is little competition when it comes to comparing the two, however, as Messi - whom he played alongside for 11 years - is in a different league when it comes to decisive moments.

"Messi does more things compared to Cristiano. Messi is the best," he told Catalunya Radio. "If Cristiano considers himself the best player in history, that's fine, but those of us who see him train, there is no comparison.

"Messi is the best in history and we don't see it any other way. Messi is the difference-maker and we always tried to give the ball to him in space with time to unbalance them. Messi is the player that makes the most difference in the world. It's more than obvious."

Messi and Ronaldo come up against each other on Saturday when La Liga leaders Barcelona head to champions Real Madrid.