ROME — While Manchester United and Barcelona play for the Champions League trophy, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi may well be squaring off for the right to call himself the world’s best player.

Ronaldo, however, doesn’t seem too concerned about that.
“Now to decide (who the best player is), who cares about that? What I want more is to win the Champions League and that’s it,” Ronaldo said Tuesday at the Stadio Olimpico. “I respect Barcelona very much, Messi is special also.
“Sincerely, I’m not worried about that. I would rather win the Champions League final. I want it very much.”
Ronaldo is the reigning FIFA world player of the year after his 42 goals last season guided United to both the Premier League and Champions League trophies. Messi was second in the voting, despite Barcelona enduring a second straight season without a trophy.
This season, however, Messi has already collected two trophies and netted more goals than Ronaldo, and the result of Wednesday’s final could be the deciding factor when votes are cast for next year’s award.
“Both are huge, huge players,” Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said. “For me, never mind who is going to win the Champions League or who is better — both are marvelous players. For Manchester, Ronaldo is very important, and for us Messi is very important.”
United coach Alex Ferguson said picking one over the other was difficult because of their different styles — Ronaldo’s speedy stepovers and long-range shooting vs. Messi’s darting runs and imagination inside the goal area.
“Both have the ability and courage to attack defenders all the time. No matter how many times they are tackled they get up and they want the ball, and that’s the kind of courage we want to see in footballers. And both have it,” Ferguson said. “Both have different types of qualities, both are different types of players but at end of the day, how can you divide it? They’re separate.”
If Man United defends its European trophy, that will provide a fourth piece of silverware after league, League Cup and Club World Cup triumphs.
Messi can add a Champions League title to Barcelona’s league and cup double, and see the Catalans become only the fifth Spanish team to win three trophies in a season.
“Messi will play a good game if we get our tactics right,” Guardiola said.
Ronaldo has never scored against Spanish opposition while Messi, who leads the competition with eight goals, has never netted against a Premier League opponent.
Ronaldo said the buildup to their individual showdown was not proving a distraction.
“I’m 100 percent focused on the game. I know the people want to know something about me but I’m very focused,” Ronaldo said. “I try to score a goal and win the game, that’s it.”