PHOTO: London smokers settle Messi-Ronaldo debate with butts

It is perhaps the most heated debate in football: who is the better player, Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi?

London fans of the beautiful game now have a new way to answer that question, with this ballot cigarette trash can.

Instead of just throwing used cigarette butts away needlessly, those nearby can put them to some good use and cast a ballot for their preferred star player. The poll was installed by environmental charity Hubbub for its ‘Neat Streets’ initiative.

"Cigarettes are a key issue in the area and we’ve found that people congregate in specific areas along the street creating cigarette butt litter hot spots," Heather Poore, founder of the charity, said. "The voting bin is located in the prime hot spot and uses the fun theory approach to engage with this audience ... so their cig butt goes in the bin rather than on the floor."

As for the results, the Real Madrid icon currently has an edge on his Barcelona counterpart by a healthy margin.