Former Arsenal star, Paul Merson, has given his verdict on Ballon d’Or winners, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Merson labelled Ronaldo, who currently plays for Manchester United, as ‘special’ and Messi, who plies his trade at Paris Saint-Germain, as ‘unreal’.

“The bloke (Ronaldo) is special. He has such self-belief. I think mentally, he is the strongest player there has ever been in the game,” Merson told Daily Star.

“I think Messi is different. I think he was born with his talent. Ronaldo has had to work at it. You can watch videos of Messi scoring unreal goals as a kid. It came naturally for him.

“With Ronaldo, it’s been sheer hard work and dedication.”

Both Ronaldo and Messi have had amazing careers over the last 15 years.

The pair have won a combined 12 Ballon d’Or awards between them, with Messi winning seven and Ronaldo five.

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