Sevilla coach Jorge Sampaoli says Barcelona ace Lionel Messi is the superior player to Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo.

Sampaoli, who's preparing his side for the Copa del Rey game against Madrid this week, has spoken to Marca and he was asked about Ronaldo and Messi.

"Ronaldo is great, his only problem is that he's coinciding with Lionel Messi," the former Chile manager said.

"Cristiano is deserving of any prize that they give him, but for me there's a big difference between Messi and the best. The rest have to compete for the ball (Ballon), with the gold (d'Or) always for Messi."