Sections of the Real Madrid hierarchy are reported to rate Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi as a superior talent to Los Blancos poster boy Cristiano Ronaldo, but club policy prevents them from admitting as much.
Ronaldo and Messi have long engaged in a war to be the world's best, but despite their long-term rivalry, the Daily Mail's Rob Draper alleged the Barca ace is preferred by some executives at the Santiago Bernabeu.
According to Draper, a shared fondness for Messi may even have helped encourage the sacking of Rafa Benitez earlier in January, linked with his failure to publicly call Ronaldo "the best player in the world":
Real Madrid are acutely aware of Ronaldo's marketing worth to them.