Gary Lineker Claims Lionel Messi Is Better Than Cristiano Ronaldo & Questions Balon d'Or 2017 Award

Former Barcelona striker and now TV pundit Gary Lineker has waded in with his opinion on the never-ending Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate, questioning the decision to hand the Real Madrid attacker the 2017 Balon d'Or award following Barcelona's 3-0 Clasico win on Saturday and labelling the former the better out of the two. 

Three second-half goals from Luis Suarez, the Argentine from the penalty sport and Aleix Vidal secured the comfortable victory for the Catalonians in the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, opening their gap over this weekend's opponents to 14 points in the Spanish top-flight. 

Once again, the little Barca magician took the plaudits on social media after another eye-catching display in the capital, but this time it was not just those who fill the Camp Nou week-in-week-out who voiced their praise. 

Following a stat appearing online, which was shared by Lineker's son, Harry, via his official Twitter account, showing Messi's somewhat dominance over 2017, the former talisman questioned why Ronaldo was seen to have had the most successful year, then going on to claim the 30-year-old is the better out of the two. 

"Balon d’Or in 2017: Ronaldo", the ex-England international tweeted, via his official Twitter account, followed by a confused emoji symbol. "I love Ronaldo but Messi is a better footballer", he added.

The argument is one that will not be settled even when their playing days are over, however despite not being crowned the year's most outstanding player this time around, the Argentina international and his side took a huge step closer to the La Liga title on Saturday, which is not exactly a bad alternative.