Gareth Bale has risked the wrath of Cristiano Ronaldo by naming Lionel Messi as his choice for the best player to have ever won the Champions League.
Messi and Ronaldo have long battled to earn recognition for being the best player in football's history, winning a trove of major trophies. Ronaldo has won the European Cup five times, across spells with Manchester United and Real Madrid.
His bitter rival meanwhile, won it four times with Barcelona, though only played in three finals. Bale though is convinced that it is Messi, rather than his former team-mate at Madrid who is the greatest to have won Europe's premier competition.
