Chelsea central defender Thiago Silva has played against many of the best in the game during his career in Brazil and with AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain before moving to England.
On Sunday, he will come up against Cristiano Ronaldo again, this time in the Premier League as Chelsea take on Manchester United.
Before the tie, he compared the Portugal international to the most elite players he has faced across his career, including Lionel Messi and Neymar.
Cristiano in comparison
"The small difference is that Messi, with the ball in a one-on-one or a two-on-one, is difficult to stop," the veteran analysed as he spoke to ESPN ahead of Sunday's fixture.
"With Ronaldo, I am not saying that it is easy, but one player can mark and the other can monitor - doing that gives you more security at the back.
"However, Messi and Ronaldo are both players capable of incredible things - like Neymar.
"I believe, though, that it is harder to defend against Messi than it is against Ronaldo."
Past meetings
Silva has come up against Cristiano Ronaldo four times in the past, all in meetings between Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, with two draws and two wins for Ronaldo.
Sunday's fixture will pit the two up against each other in domestic league action for the first time.