da winzada777： Ah, the good old Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate. It’s already been more than a whole decade since it first appeared and yet here we are, still baffled by that same question: Just who is better between Messi and Ronaldo?
da fazobetai： Professional players, legends of the game, coaches and pundits have tried answering it but try as they might, the question still remains to this day. And it will probably linger even after both of those extraterrestrial beings are retired and playing golf in their space villas (or something like that).
But even though this indeed might seem like an impossible task to solve, the answer is rather simple, really, and this detailed list will look to shed some light on the debate at hand.
So without further ado, here are 25 reasons why Cristiano Ronaldo will always be in Lionel Messi’s shadow…
Jack of all trades, master of all
The first and the most universal argument of why Messi is simply better is the fact that he’s the more complete player of the two.
Sure, Ronaldo can bang in goals galore but so can Messi, and he can assist, create chances, pass better than most world-class midfielders and dribble like the best of them.
Vision, proficiency, lethality, passing, dribbling, crossing… Messi can do it all.
“The reciprocal altruist”
Andy West called Messi the “reciprocal altruist” in his book and he truly hit the nail on the head with that one.
Messi is the ultimate altruist, catering for others before himself and expecting the best of his teammates in return. He is always determined to be the best possible version of himself and will make sure they do the same.
By both demanding and providing excellence, Messi helps others achieve their brilliant best.
Messi is the better goalscorer
The only real thing Ronaldo was supposedly better at than Messi was scoring goals. But this myth is easily debunked with Messi’s record six European Golden Shoes as opposed to Ronaldo’s four and all that while essentially playing as a midfielder!
Furthermore, Messi also boasts with a better all-time career goal ratio with 0.82 per game versus Ronaldo’s 0.71 with 32 fewer penalties and only 18 goals less while having played 144 games less.
Mr. Champions League?
Cristiano Ronaldo is the unopposed king of the Champions League, right?
Not really, although he has one trophy and 14 goals more than Messi, he still had a three-season head-start over the Argentine! T
hat even makes his goal ratio worse (0.84 – 0.78). Seeing how he’s three years younger, Messi has more than a decent chance to overthrow the Portuguese, both in titles and goals, and claim the crown of the Mr Champions League himself.
The International bottler?
One other myth that needs busting: Ronaldo has won something with Portugal while Messi does nothing for Argentina. False!
Messi has the Olympic Gold and the Youth World Cup trophy with Argentina and has taken his senior team to four finals (Three Copa Americas and one World Cup!)
He has done more for his country, which largely depends on him, than Ronaldo for Portugal’s Euro win. Without Messi, Argentina are nothing, without Ronaldo, Portugal are the same.
“The key factor with him is his humility”
Being a superstar can inflate one’s ego, and while Cristiano is definitely guilty of that, Messi is just a shy guy who remains humble even in the face of glory.
This makes him stand out from the crowd of egoistic, self-centred stardom who chase the money and publicity while Messi remains grounded while still soaring through the skies.
For all his ingenuity, Leo is your average caring, family loving, football genius. And that’s what makes him the greatest.
Messi is a one-man army
Ronaldo is a great asset to his team but Messi is the team.
No player makes such an impact on a team as Messi does on Barcelona and Argentina. He drags them on his own: without Messi, Argentina got seven points from eight games and with him 21 from 10 games.
At Barca, Messi has a 41.3% share of all goals and assists this season and looking 10 years back, it hasn’t fallen below 28%.
Messi accommodates others, Ronaldo accommodates himself
Messi went from a winger to false-nine to midfielder all to better himself and the team as a whole. He is willing to sacrifice his personal records in order to complement the team’s needs.
Ronaldo has also made a change in his role but all with a single purpose of making himself the central piece and to build the team accordingly.
With Ronaldo, it’s him first, team second, and with Messi, it’s the other way around.
Loyalty is a trait long forgotten
And while the likes of Francesco Totti are hailed for their one-team career, Messi will forever be bashed for it.
Loyalty is something we seldom see in modern football and Leo brings about that long forgotten romance to the beautiful game. Even when times are tough, like now, he won’t abandon his lady in need.
To quote the man himself: “Without me, Barca will be the same, without Barca I would be nothing.”
Trophies, trophies and even more trophies
Ronaldo fans are always keen on bringing stats and trophies into the discussion to prove their point. But even those are no longer viable in this conversation.
When it comes to all-time trophies, Messi has 34 while Ronaldo has 30. Individually speaking, an including all accolades from 2004 – 2019, Messi has 68 and Ronaldo has 60.
Of the most important ones, both have five Golden Balls but Messi has two Golden Boots more. Check-mate.