Messi or Ronaldo? Football conversations often revolve around which of these footballing legends is better and why. There is a subjective analysis of this debate by football fans around the world based on their personal preferences. Some consider Lionel Messi the best player in the world,
but you cannot dismiss the Portuguese Man Army. Despite being 34 and 32 years old, respectively, Juventus’ Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona’s Lionel Messi have racked up most, if not all, of the individual awards over the past decade or so.
It remains to be seen which one of these fierce professional rivalries will triumph and why? Is it even possible to compare them? Come on, let’s find out.
The Early Struggles of Youth and Their Careers:
Messi was diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency as a child growing up in central Argentina. Barcelona agreed to pay for his treatment after moving to Spain and joining the club at 13. The kid hasn’t looked back since then. At 17, the young Argentine made his competitive debut and won the Ballon d’Or and FIFA Player of the Year award at 22.
He was diagnosed with a racing heart at the age of 15 when he was born in the islands of Madeira, Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro. In 2003, CR7 joined Manchester United, aged 18, after a successful operation at Sporting CP. In his first season with the Red Devils, he won the FA Cup, helped the team win three consecutive Premier League titles, and was named FIFA Player of the Year at 23.
Statistics Among Them:
Lionel Messi has scored over 700 goals in all competitions for club and country in his entire career, which is the bread and butter of every attacker. It would have been difficult to imagine anyone expecting a single player to score this many goals in the past decade. In his club career, the Argentine has scored 625 goals, including starts and substitute appearances.
It’s incredible how many assists he has collected over the same period and number of games. Based on these stats, it will probably take some time for another Lionel Messi to emerge. As of this writing, the Barcelona man holds the record for most goals in La Liga (428), the most assists in La Liga (173), and the most hattricks in the UEFA Champions League (8).
With 91 goals in a calendar year, he holds the record for most official purposes in a calendar year and has scored 70 goals in 138 appearances. Ronaldo, on the other hand, isn’t so much behind. Having played for Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus, the Portuguese has over 608 club goals in his career.
Again wow, Messi has 127 goals in the UEFA Champions League, 127 goals for Portugal, and over 700 senior goals for his country and club; Messi holds the record for most goals scored in both competitions.
Argentine and Portugal are neck and neck regarding honors and achievements. Messi has won 35 major trophies to Ronaldo’s 28. Ronaldo, however, has won trophies with Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, and Portugal, while Messi only has trophies with Barcelona and Argentina. In 2019, the Argentine won the Ballon d’Or for the sixth time, surpassing Ronaldo’s five Ballon d’Or trophies.
Messi and Ronaldo: Fantasies of Fantasy
The fantasy football leagues these players play are fortunate to have them both. In fantasy football, goals and assists are the bread and butter. As the talismans of their respective teams, Messi and Ronaldo are bound to score many goals and assist many times.
Additionally, they are responsible for set pieces, direct free kicks, and penalty kicks for their respective teams, which increases their demand and points potential. Messi and Ronaldo, as a whole, are gifts from Fantasy Gods for Fantasy Football managers.
There are different and intriguing game styles among players in the current era. In the same way, these legends of modern football do as well. The primary difference between Messi and Ronaldo is their playing style. Argentines are virtuosos and magicians with the ball. As a short player, he has a low center of gravity, allowing him to switch lines and pace quickly. The quick turn of speed is usually a nightmare for defenders. Also, he is regarded as one of the best dribblers in the game’s history. Passing and shooting are other eye-catching aspects of his game. Messi is hardly the only player with such precision when passing and shooting today. He drops deep and controls the play whenever required before moving into opposition territory.
Messi does not carry his national team alone, while Ronaldo does. As was expected, Ronaldo was at the center of everything during Portugal’s Euro 2016 victory. Messi has, however, won a global trophy. Argentina has now lost three major finals under the Barcelona man, the COPA America finals, and the World Cup finals. Ronaldo also has a slight edge over Messi regarding international goals. The number of goals Ronaldo has scored for Portugal is one short of 100, while Messi has 70. Despite this, both players are all-time leading scorers for their respective national teams.
