Former Real Madrid chief Jorge Valdano has explained why he rates Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of Barcelona great Lionel Messi.

Despite the fact that Argentine Messi, now with PSG, is his compatriot, the former Real Madrid player said that Manchester United striker Ronaldo has more merit than Messi because of the work it has taken him to leave a legacy in world football.

"Cristiano Ronaldo is a phenomenon. He looks like a downgrade compared to Messi, who I define as a genius, but be careful because sometimes a phenomenon has more merits than a genius," Valdano told TyC Sports.

"The genius is born and the phenomenon is developed. Cristiano has even built himself a new body, he has a lot of merit for what he has done, and he has taken several Ballon d'Or awards away from the genius."

The former Argentina international, ruled out the much-talked about possible return of the Portuguese to Real Madrid, with the striker keen to leave Manchester United to join a team that plays in the Champions League.

"Cristiano at Real Madrid is a closed case, that's it. Florentino [Perez, president of Real Madrid] under no circumstance would retrace his steps, but what Ronaldo did at Real Madrid puts him among the greatest in the history of the club, and I think that's enough," he said.