Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo at their best? Toughest opponent picked out by Premier League star Jefferson Lerma – who faced both all-time greats in La Liga

The Colombia international midfielder has been in the Premier League since 2018, with spells taken in at Bournemouth and Crystal Palace. Life in the English top-flight has seen him come up against the likes of Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah, but a previous stint in La Liga with Levante pushed him into direct competition with a couple of all-time greats.

Lerma has told talkSPORT when asked about facing the best in the business and which rival can be considered his toughest opponent: “I’ve been lucky enough to come up against some of the biggest stars, Messi and Ronaldo in their best moments. That’s given me more experience to come up against such good players. It’s very difficult to say [who’s the best I’ve faced] but probably Cristiano Ronaldo. They’re totally different but they’re all at the top of their game for a reason: they work hard, and that’s why they’re so successful.”

Ronaldo and Messi smashed countless records between them during their respective spells at Barcelona and Real Madrid – becoming the all-time leading goalscorers for two of the biggest sporting institutions on the planet.

Messi and Ronaldo are still going strong in 2023, with the former picking up his eighth Ballon d’Or and becoming the most decorated player in history while on the books of MLS side Inter Miami, while the latter has hit 50 goals for the calendar year at Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Nassr – with both seemingly set to play on for some time yet.