Diego Maradona reckons any debate over whether Lionel Messi is better than Cristiano Ronaldo or vice versa is flawed as the duo are equally matched. 

The best two players in world football have again showcased their talismanic qualities this season, Messi netting 53 goals in all competitions for Barcelona and Ronaldo scoring one more for Real Madrid. 

Legends of the game past and present tend to take sides when discussing the qualities of Messi and Ronaldo, but Maradona believes they are on a par with each other. 

"It's not the case that Messi is better than Ronaldo or Ronaldo is better than Messi. I think they are at the same level," Maradona told Sky Sports. 

"Cristiano is a predator in front of goal. You can’t let Cristiano shoot from anywhere in the opposition half.

"Goalkeepers are scared of him. You have to be honest, goalkeepers are scared of Cristiano. They are not so scared of Messi in those areas because he doesn't have the same power as Cristiano.

"Cristiano is an incredible professional. I think at this present time he is right up there at Messi's level."