Heskey, 47, scored 110 Premier League goals in 516 appearances across spells at several clubs, including Aston Villa and Liverpool, as well as being capped 62 times by England.

The Leicester City academy graduate represented the Three Lions at three major international tournaments - UEFA EURO 2004 and two FIFA World Cups in 2002 and 2010.

But it was during an Under-21 fixture where he faced a player he described as “on the same level” as Messi, 37, and Ronaldo, 40.

During an exclusive interview with SPORTbible in association with Poker Scout, Heskey was asked about players who he felt should’ve gone on to achieve more in the game.

“The only opponent I played against who I thought would be on the level as Lionel Messi was Pablo Aimar,” Heskey said.

“He was on that level, but not as high profile as Messi. He was outstanding. I played against him in the England Under-21s, couldn't get near him."

Aimar, now 45, won 52 caps for Argentina and played an important role in Valencia winning La Liga in 2001/02 and 2003/04 as well as winning the 2003/04 UEFA Cup.