Tom Brady over Lionel Messi for Pats star Gronkowski

They are the undisputed stars of their respective sports but Rob Gronkowski had no doubts when picking between New England Patriots team-mate Tom Brady and Barcelona icon Lionel Messi.

Patriots quarter-back Brady is a five-time NFL Super Bowl champion after helping New England beat the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI last month.

Messi, meanwhile, is a five-time Ballon d'Or winner among his 27 trophies for Spanish and European giants Barcelona.

Gronkowski attended Barca training on Thursday, having watched Messi's men rout Sporting Gijon 6-1 on Wednesday and the Patriots tight end was starstruck.

"I'm going to have to go with Messi," the 27-year-old American said after being asked to name his favourite player. "I just met him, and he was super cool.

"I'm a huge fan [of Barcelona] now."

But when asked to compare Messi to Brady, there was only one winner.

"Brady all the way," said Gronkowski, who is a two-time Super Bowl champion and four-time Pro Bowler. "He's the man."