Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo claim made by Man City boss Pep Guardiola

Messi, who Guardiola managed at Barcelona, and Ronaldo have dominated world football for the past decade.

They have won the last ten Ballon d’Ors between them, each picking up the gong on five occasions.

Ronaldo had helped Real Madrid to three successive Champions League titles before leaving the Bernabeu for Juventus this summer.

Messi has been a key player of an incredibly successful Barcelona team of recent years, winning La Liga last season.

And Guardiola believes it is an honour to be able to witness both Messi and Ronaldo at work.

“Leo is a competitive, fierce animal,” Guardiola said at Festival dello Sport.

“That helps others to be competitive. He hates to lose and plays like when he was a kid.

“In big matches, if the team helps him, he makes the difference.

“Together with Cristiano [Ronaldo] we have lived and are living an era of two phenomena.

“They have spent 10 years scoring 50 goals a season. It’s incredible.

“It’s not one year, it’s year after year, more and more.”

Manchester United were on the end of Messi’s magic in 2009 and 2011 with Barcelona beating the Red Devils in the Champions League final.

And former United striker Wayne Rooney believes the Argentinian was the difference.

“In both games (Champions League finals) if we had been against any other team but Barcelona you would have fancied us to win,” Rooney said.

“In my eyes they are the best team ever and Messi is the best player ever.

“What he gets to do is incredible. Messi has just got a bit of everything.

“Ronaldo has gone from a winger to a striker and a goalscorer.

“Rather than taking players on all the time, he has gone more one or two touch, getting in the box and scoring goals.

“Messi a bit of everything – you see him scoring goals from playing probably a deep midfield role at times, and where I’m probably still walking on the pitch he’s scoring.

“So he is probably the best.”