Vives appeared in front of the media to explain a number of decisions made in the club's last board meeting. During the questions, the Barcelona spokesman was asked about Ronaldo's words: "I am the best player in history...there's no player more complete than me."
"I respect the Ballon d'Or and Cristiano Ronaldo. We have always considered him a great player and a great competitor. Here, at the Camp Nou, we can see the best player in history play ever 15 days, and that's Messi," claimed Vives.
This is Barcelona's latest gesture towards their star man Messi, who finished second in the votes for France Football's trophy, behind a Ronaldo who won both La Liga and the Champions League.
Vives also spoke about other issues, like Mascherano's future at the club and the Champions League tie with Chelsea. On the veteran Argentinian defender, the spokesman made it clear that the interests of the club are the priority over Mascherano's.
"There is a lot of respect for Mascherano, he has earned himself a lot of respect over the years.
"Like the manager said, after the January transfer window, the club need to be strengthened and not weakened.
"The general interest of the club is above all individual wishes from anyone, including the player. We listen and we take into account the player's views," he said.
On Chelsea, Vives added: "We had a 43% chance of being drawn against them, and we were. It provides us with motivation, they are a great opponent at a great stadium.
"But there is still plenty time before the start of the tie so we'll have to wait and see how we are looking before the first leg. To win the Champions League, you have to beat the best teams.