Xavi has described Cristiano Ronaldo as a "spectacular footballer" whose problem is that he is playing in the same era as "the best player in history" in Lionel Messi.

The two La Liga stars are often described as the best footballers in the world at present, and have dominated the Ballon D'Or award since 2008.

Supporters, professionals and pundits are constantly at loggerheads over who is the better player, but Xavi is firmly in the corner of his former Barcelona teammate.

"Cristiano Ronaldo is a born scorer, a spectacular footballer," Xavi told A Bola TV. "The problem is that there is Messi, who for me is the best player in history.

"That is the only problem that Cristiano Ronaldo has, but he is a player who scores and continues to mark an era."

Real Madrid and Portugal star Ronaldo's Ballon d'Or success earlier this year was the fourth time he had got his hands on the gong, while Barca and Argentina prodigy Messi currently has five.