Messi is 'an alien without emotion' & that's why he isn't as good as Ronaldo - Paolo Di Canio

West Ham United legend and former Italy striker, Paolo Di Canio has given his pick on the age old debate as to who is the better player between footballing superstars, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Ronaldo and Messi are widely considered to be the two greatest players in the history of the sport, though there is the debate as to who is the better player, and in the mind of Di Canio there is one clear winner.

The Italian opened up on his pick after seeing Messi getting booed from the Paris Saint-Germain fans during their recent Ligue 1 game, with the fans not happy with his performance during their Champions League loss to Real Madrid in the round of 16 stage.

“Messi left the pitch scratching his head, he has no emotions. I prefer Cristiano Ronaldo. Do you want me to sit on the bench against Man City? I go back to Portugal, then I return and score a hat-trick. I prefer the human who has a soul to the alien without emotions," he told Sky Sport Italia.

“Messi showed his personality limits. Of course, he can be booed. There were thousands of fans waiting for him. They were dreaming, but his behaviour was not the right one.

The 53-year-old was even more critical of Neymar, hitting out the Brazilian by stating: “Neymar was even worse. He is not doing remarkable things and last month, he said that he wanted to go to the MLS to have three months holiday. I mean, have respect, you must have some problems.”

While Messi has failed to recapture the form that has made him the best player in the world in the past, he has still managed to score seven goals and register 11 assists in 26 appearances in all competitions so far.