Lionel Messi prefers to focus on his own game and not engage in any debates about who is better between he, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Luis Suarez or any other players.

"The press looks to compare among other things. All I want is to help my team to grow each season," Messi told Egyptian TV station MBC, in quotes reported by Sport.

"I don't compare myself to Cristiano nor to anyone. I only try to think of me, of my team-mates and win games."

Barcelona will play Real Madrid this coming weekend in La Liga.

"They [Real Madrid] have great players," he added. "They have always had impressive stars and it's one of the best teams in the world.

"They are always a complicated rival and against them, we always find it difficult to beat them in the Spanish league. There is a lot of competition and we try to do it better."