"Took football and put it in a different place!" - Former Turkish player hails impact of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi on football as a sport

Former Turkish footballer Nihat Kahveci has hailed the impact of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on the popularity of the game. He says that they are the game's biggest stars and have delivered for years.

The Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate has been going on for years, but there's no clear winner. The duo have pushed each other beyond their limits and have 12 Ballon d'Or awards between them.

Speaking to NUTSPOR, Kahveci said that Messi and Ronaldo are the best players ever and are the reason for taking football to the next level:

"Messi and Ronaldo took football and put it in a different place! Ronaldinho, one of the world's biggest stars. 2 good seasons, 1-2 seasons not the same... with Messi and Ronaldo, we never had this.

 "It has no relevance with money. If you have €1m or €100m, it's the same life. There is no difference."

Speaking about the duo's exit from Europe, Kahveci added:

"One went to America; one went to Saudi Arabia; still, they are scoring goals. This is two characters pushing each other. They love each other, but they live off each other, too. For years, we have been watching these two. We are lucky. ... it's unbelievable."

 Messi has been doing well at Inter Miami with 11 goals in 10 games across competitions, while Ronaldo has scored five goals in his last two league games.