Ronaldinho has refused to declare former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi as the greatest player in history - but conceded he is the best of his generation.
The retired Brazilian playmaker was one of world football's top figures when Messi made his Barcelona debut as a fresh-faced 16-year-old.
Two years later Ronaldinho won the Ballon d'Or, but he was soon replaced as the golden boy at the Nou Camp.
Messi has since gone on to win the same award on six occasions - more than any other player - but Ronaldinho could still not bring himself to label him the greatest.
“I can't say that Messi is the best ever, but he is the best in his time,” Ronaldinho told EFE (via Goal ).
“I don't like comparisons because it's hard to identify who the best in history is, there's Diego Maradona, Pele, Ronaldo.”
Despite Messi's considerable success with Barcelona, the Argentine is still lacking one winners medal in his trophy cabinet that all those mentioned have - the World Cup.
Ronaldinho won the coveted Jules Rimet trophy with Brazil in 2002, while Messi's fellow compatriot Maradona starred in Argentina's 1986 triumph.
However his goalscoring prowess in club football is unrivalled, and his latest Ballon d'Or has all-but cemented his place as the greatest player from this generation.
Speaking about the award , Messi said: "It is special and different; each one has something special and this one is for the moment in which I find myself on a personal and football level. But each one has its own little things.
"I am in the moment of trying to improve myself, of wanting to learn every day, of taking care of myself and of resting, of enjoying the activities I do ... all that makes me very grateful to be able to continue dedicating myself to football."
