Former Barcelona player Kevin-Prince Boateng said that he was made to say that Lionel Messi was the best player in the world despite personally believing Cristiano Ronaldo was the better player.

Speaking on Rio Ferdinand's VIBE with FIVE podcast, Boateng claimed it was 'one of the biggest lies' of his life that he head to tell 'in order to wear the Barcelona shirt'.

"I remember that when I arrived in Barcelona they immediately asked me who the best player in the world was. I had to say it was Lionel Messi, I lied. It was one of the biggest lies of my life," he told the podcast. 

"Normally I always tell the truth, but I lied because it was the only way to wear the Barcelona shirt. I always supported Real Madrid when I was a teenager. I love Cristiano Ronaldo. But they told me I had to say that, otherwise I wouldn't play."

Boateng was one of the surprise signings for Barcelona in early 2019 when the club desperately required a player in the attacking department.

The former Borussia Dortmund and Schalke starlet joined Barça on a six-month loan deal, featuring in just four matches.

Boateng also said that despite Messi being the captain of Barca during his time, the Argentine World Cup winner did not talk much. And the one time that Boateng had a conversation with Messi, it was regarding Ronaldo. 

"He [Messi] is the captain but doesn't speak. We spoke one time in the shower because he asked if it's difficult to score in Italy because Ronaldo was there at that time, and he showed the rivalry between them," Boateng said.