Argentinian footballing legend Maradona said Monday that he preferred compatriot Lionel Messi to Cristiano Ronaldo all the while dubbing the Portugal captain an "incredible" player. "I can't remember having seen Lionel Messi play badly," Maradona told TyCSports. "I prefer Messi to Cristiano Ronaldo but I acknowledge that the latter is an animal. He's incredible," said the 1986 World Cup winner. Speaking from Dubai, where he now lives, Maradona added that he'd wished Ronaldo, who is Portuguese, was Argentinian. "He makes me think of Gabriel Batistuta," the Argentina striker who starred at three World Cup finals. "As soon as he touched the ball, it was a goal."