Messi And Ronaldo, Two Of The Greats

Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi? A simple question, which has transformed itself into Football’s greatest debate. A topic many have an opinion on, and often feel very strongly about, but regardless of perspective, nobody can deny the genius of either player. With an astonishing 1150 goals scored between the pair of them, Ronaldo and Messi have spent their careers dominating world football by continuously taking out titles, as well as constantly rewriting the record books. On top of this, between the two of them they have won the last 9 Ballon D’or trophies, with Ronaldo winning the lucrative award 4 times, as Messi has been named the worlds best an unmatched 5 times. With both players maintaining such incredible figures and stats throughout their stranglehold over football for the last decade it’s not time to debate, but to analyse how both players managed to excel further than anybody could have ever imagined.

Messi

Lionel Messi is nothing short of footballing genius, regarded by many as God’s gift to football, Messi turns the unfathomable into the routine on a regular basis. Messi has undoubtedly the best ability to beat an opponent the world has ever seen, accompany this with lightning quick pace, the ability to thread passes which couldn’t be seen by the naked eye as well as his trademark ability to finish and you’re staring at quite possibly the greatest player there is, was and will ever be. Born in Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina, Messi joined his first club Newell’s Old Boys aged 6 before plying his trade for them for 6 years. Aged 12 Messi was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency, which could potentially force him out of playing football if not make it far more difficult for him. Eventually FC Barcelona came knocking, having impressed numerous Barcelona scouts Messi signed with the Catalonian club aged 12 and was immediately placed into the rotation of their La Masia academy. Along with this FC Barcelona paid in full the treatment for his growth hormone deficiency, which eventually allowed for him to grow to 5’7. Messi rose through the ranks before being given his debut on October 16th 2004. Since then Messi has enjoyed a more than illustrious career with FC Barcelona having won 8 La Liga titles, 4 Copa del Rey titles, 4 Champions League titles and 3 Club World Cups titles as well. Messi’s goalscoring record for Barcelona at senior level stands at an impressive 494 goals in 571 games, making him the clubs all time highest goal scorer. Along with his impressive haul of trophies at club level, Messi has also won an unrivalled 5 Ballon D’or trophies. At international level Messi hasn’t quite been so successful, although managing to score 74 times in 140 games in all levels of international competition Messi has only managed to win the U20 World Cup in 2005 as well as the 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medal. Other than that his Argentina sides have lost both the 2015 & 2016 Copa America finals to Chile as well as losing to Germany in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Having come out second best in such international bouts has led to heavy criticism of his commitment to his national team. Even with such criticisms all one has to do is watch Messi with a ball at his feet and they will understand they are watching a unique talent. Based on his achievements, stats and ability alone it’s impossible to deny that we may never see another player quite like him again.

Ronaldo

To many, Cristiano Ronaldo is an emulation of success, his unrelenting work ethic accompanied by his awe inspiring determination to succeed have helped to transform a talented young boy into a football dominating, goal scoring machine. He has a rocket of a shot, is quick, strong and is more than comfortable beating opponents as well as providing to be a menace to opposing defenders with his ability in the air. Cristiano Ronaldo grew up in Madeira on the island of Funchal in Portugal representing first Andorinha, then Nacional in his juniors before securing a move to Sporting Lisbon on the mainland. From there Ronaldo displayed a lot of potential and ability before securing a move worth 12.5 million pounds to Manchester United. In his time playing under Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United Ronaldo transformed himself from an agile skinny winger into an athlete who rivaled that of the very best in world sport. In his time at Manchester United he won 3 Premier League Titles, 1 Champions League, 1 FA cup and 2 league cups, 1 Community Shield as well as the FIFA Club World Cup. Accompanying his title haul is Ronaldo’s 118 goals in 292 appearances. After losing out to Messi’s FC Barcelona in the 2009 Champions League Final Ronaldo secured a move to their greatest rivals Real Madrid for a world record 80 million pounds. Since then Ronaldo has gone on to score 390 goals in 382 games for Real Madrid making him their all time highest goal scorer. These incredible stats have helped Madrid to win 1 La Liga title, 2 Champions Leagues, 2 Copa Del Rey and 2 FIFA Club World Cups. At international level Cristiano Ronaldo has netted 71 times in 138 games which makes him Portugal’s all-time highest goal scorer as well, with Portugal he captained the side to UEFA European Championships success in 2016, a moment he described as his proudest achievement. At a personal level Ronaldo has won 4 Ballon D’or trophies more than any other player, other than Lionel Messi. Alongside this achievement he has won the European golden boot award 4 times and has been named in the World XI for 10 successive years. As the saying goes ‘stats don’t lie’ and Cristiano Ronaldo’s stats rank him amongst the greatest their ever was alongside his consistency he has displayed for the last 15 years justifying exactly why he is revered as one of the greats.

As two great players, representing two world class clubs Ronaldo and Messi have often found themselves head to head on the pitch, although the players maintain that it’s not about them, but ensuring victory for their team. With that being said statistically both players have had their moments to outshine the other. Whether it is Messi’s mazy run in the Champions League semi-final to get past 4 players and score to knock Madrid out of the tournament. Or Ronaldo’s acute finish against Barcelona in the 2011/2012 La Liga to put the dagger through the Catalan hearts and ensure La Liga belongs to Real Madrid that year. Head to head at club level the pair have met 31 times, with Messi winning 14 of those bouts and Ronaldo taking out 9, with the remaining 8 games resulting in draws. From a personal perspective it sits all even with both players accumulating 17 goals a piece in their match ups. Once combined their trophy cabinets are large enough to rival that of some of footballs most successful clubs. Ronaldo boasts an impressive 28 titles across club, country and individual accolades, whereas Messi has a collective 37 titles.

These two phenomenal footballers have both enjoyed a professional relationship on and off the pitch, they are often posed head to head and enjoy clashes against the others club. With that being said they have never hesitated to congratulate or sing praise for their counterpart, signifying the impression they’ve both left on the game. Whether you’re from Portugal or Argentina, support Barcelona or Madrid, or just a neutral football enthusiast, one can’t help but marvel at the generation defining sensations that have been Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.