Michael Laudrup believes Messi, Ronaldo 'need each other'

Having taken over as the manager of Qatari club Lekhwiya over the summer, Michael Laudrup is no longer involved in the coaching circles of La Liga.

However, that doesn't mean Laudrup, who has previously managed Getafe and Mallorca, will stop chiming in on the never-ending comparison of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Asked to choose between the two greatest footballers in the world Wednesday, Laudrup opted not to pick a favorite, instead explaining how Messi and Ronaldo motivate each other.

"Both would have to be in it, as they've clearly been the best two players over the past four or five years," Laudrup said. "I think they need each other. If one scores a hat-trick, the other tries to beat that."

"They are two of the best," Laudrup added. "Not just of this era - in 30 years we'll be talking about them and the debate will be whether Messi, Cristiano, Maradona or Pele is the greatest of all time."

During his career as a prolific midfielder, Laudrup helped lead Barcelona to four consecutive La Liga titles between 1990 and 1994. He then made a controversial move to Real Madrid and led the club to the league title in 1994-95.