Why are we even discussing Ronaldo and Messi in a DP thread? In any case, Messi has proven to be the better player, but Del Piero could've been one of the greatest of all time, had it not been for that injury. Also, his abysmal performances for the Azzurri don't really help his cause. That is why he will always be one step behind Fat Ronaldo and Zidane, who in my opinion are the best players of their generation, and in the case of the Zidane potentially one of the 3 greatest players of all time, along with Maradona and Pele.