Ronaldo and Messi have ruled the footballing world for well over a decade, winning 10 Ballon d’or awards between them but with both at the twilight of their careers, a successor to their reign is needed.
Sterling joined Manchester City from Liverpool in 2015 but his performances have remarkably improved ever since Pep Guardiola took over as manager at the Etihad Stadium in the summer of 2016.
The 24-year-old has helped Manchester City to two Premier League titles and has already found the net five times in five Premier League games so far this season.
Xavi, who currently manages Qatar side Al-Sadd told The Mirror: "Messi is the best ever for me, and even though they're both still playing at a very high level, there will come the day not so long away when somebody else must step into those shoes.
"You look at young players who can be crowned the future best in the world and you still think of Neymar, [Kylian] Mbappe, [Mohamed] Salah and of course Sterling. I look at the moment and Sterling is winning that race.
"He's always been a good player, a dangerous player, but under Pep he [has] become one of the best in the world.
"I know how Pep works - he would have worked closely with him since his arrival - where he needs to improve and what he needed to work on.
"We're now seeing the results of that. He's still young and can be the world's best."
