Ronaldinho was better than both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, claims former Barcelona midfielder Deco.

Deco played alongside both Ronaldinho and Messi during his tenure at the Camp Nou, while the Portuguese has also shared the pitch with Ronaldo for the pair’s country.

But despite Messi and Ronaldo’s domination in recent years, Deco remains adamant it was the Brazilian who was the best of the lot.

‘Ronaldinho was more talented than Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo,’ Deco told Sport.

‘When we didn’t know what to do, he would create chances to score.

‘[Ronaldo] was young, athletic and very competitive. Messi worked hard to do what he does now with the ball for Barca, but what Ronaldinho had was completely natural, he had a special ability. Every time we gave him the ball, he would score a different type of goal,’ Deco claimed.

Ronaldinho won the Copa America in 1999 with Brazil before lifting the World Cup in 2o02. The player was also crowned the world’s best player for the years 2004 and 2005.

With Barcelona Ronaldinho won two La Liga titles as well as the 2006 Champions League.

Image: Barcelona website