Messi is Barcelona’s best ever - but is Ronaldo Madrid’s all-time greatest?

Cristiano Ronaldo is now officially the greatest goalscorer in the history of Real Madrid. The Portuguese forward scored after just half an hour against Levante on Saturday to surpass Raul's record of 323 goals for los Blancos. But is he the greatest player to ever represent the club?

Over at Barcelona, there is no such debate about Lionel Messi. When Madrid coach Rafa Benitez surprisingly said recently that Ronaldo was not necessarily the best he had coached, eyebrows were raised. Asked the same question about Messi the following day, Barca boss Luis Enrique had no doubt. "I don't like to compare them," he said. "But Messi is the best in the world and the best in history. That's my opinion."

It is the opinion of many. Yet while the Argentine attacker is often described as the best player to ever grace the game, few have dubbed Ronaldo the finest footballer in history. One notable exception is Jorge Mendes, but he is Cristiano's agent and personal friend, bigging up his prized asset whenever he has the chance.

Could John Obi Mikel still be Jay-Jay Okocha’s heir?

The best decision Sunday Oliseh could make right now is to reinvent Chelsea 's John Obi Mikel as Nigeria 's deep-lying playmaker.

In the past, the suggestion might have seemed ridiculous—how could Mikel seek to emulate deities of the game such as Andrea Pirlo?

How can the Nigerian hold a candle to the Italian great? Indeed, perhaps the role of the regista should be re-christened the ‘Pirlo role’ in homage to the New York City FC midfielder.

If there’s a Makelele role, there should surely be a ‘Pirlo role’ as well; the Juventus and Milan great dominated matches with his baton of a boot, conducting and controlling proceedings like an orchestral piece played in pianissimo while being able to take a game from adagio to prestissimo with a single weave of his enchanted foot, leaving spectators breathlessly in awe. The magical melodious piece itself ending in a crescendo; “Bravo maestro, Bravo” scream the crowd in acknowledgement of his bravura.