Suarez: Messi was born great, Ronaldo made himself great

Barcelona attacker Luis Suarez feels Lionel Messi was born a great player, whereas Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo has had to work to reach his current level, Goal.com reports.

Messi and Ronaldo are widely regarded as the two best players of their generation, with the pair winning the Ballon d'Or seven times between them in as many years.

Suarez feels his Barcelona team-mate is the better of the two, though, because of his consistency from the first minute he made his debut.

"Messi is a natural. It's in his character," the Uruguay international told Le Buteur.

"Messi is the best player in the world. He was born with his qualities.

"Ronaldo has progressed over the course of the years and has worked very hard to reach his current level.

"He was not at the same level when he first made his debut, though. That's why I think Leo is the better of the two."

Suarez also had his say on Mario Balotelli's difficulties at Liverpool and defended the Italy international against ongoing criticism.

"I think Balotelli has already played at some huge clubs and has proven to be a formidable player.

"It is not easy to do what he did at Manchester City.

"After a spell in Italy, he moved to England, then returned to Italy and eventually move back to England again. That's been very difficult for him, but he remains a great player."