After covering the Barcelona versus Real Madrid topic, it is only logical if Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were discussed due to their pivotal role in both teams. The two wingers are currently playing for two of the best clubs in Spain and two of the most popular outfits in the world.Barca’s Lio Messi is a graceful and diminutive yet extremely skilled and fast player while Real Madrid’s Ronaldo is a well-built player who relies on sheer speed and power allied with a plethora of tricky moves up his sleeve to torment defenders. The Messi - Ronaldo comparison cannot be limited to just elegance against brute efficiency since the Portuguese player can showcase a catalogue of nifty moves. Though both can score from free-kicks, Ronaldo normally opts for power and precision at the expense of curling and placement of the ball which seem to be the preference of Messi.
The Argentine prodigy actually has a scoring ratio that surpasses that of the Portuguese star. That might come as a surprise to many but statistics cannot be argued with. Lio has scored 55 goals in 110 league appearances for Barca while Ronaldo registered 84 goals in 196 league matches for Manchester (he played for Sporting Lisbon prior to that). While Ronaldo’s exploits in the Premier League cannot be marginalised, Messi’s footwork and stunning contribution to the Barca cause is sometimes overlooked due to the presence of Samuel Eto’o (now with Inter) and Thierry Henry.
Make no mistake, Messi was the driving force behind the Catalan club’s record-setting treble season despite Eto’o being the team’s top scorer. Ronaldo toyed with EPL defenders the past few years and in 2007-08 season had a remarkable 42 goal tally in all competitions for the Red Devils. Legendary United manager Alex Ferguson did not want to let go of his Portuguese kingpin last season because he realised how invaluable his input had been to bringing success to Old Trafford. Sir Alex finally had to let go this summer after Los Blancos offered a mind-boggling world record fee of $132 million for Ronaldo.
In their professional career both have won the Champions League and multiple titles in one season. The experience factor might not favor one over the other and actually becomes less of an issue when you consider the talent on hand. However, one crucial element might be age since Messi is the younger of the two (By a couple of years and that can be significant for a player who is attack-minded) and still has time to improve and enter Argentine folklore along football greats such as Diego Maradona while Ronaldo is less likely to do so given the age of some of Portugal’s established players.
One more advantage for Messi is that he has been with Barca all these years while this will be Ronaldo’s first season with Los Galacticos. The onus is on Ronaldo to deliver following his record move which, by itself, could turn out to be another factor working against him. If the burden of being the most expensive player, the pressure of having to live up to his exploits in England, and Portugal’s failures all begin to catch up with him then Ronaldo’s season could gradually fall below expectations.
The match-up between both squads could turn out to be uninspiring- just check the much anticipated Inter-Barca game which resulted in a scoreless draw, albeit not the worst one to watch with some neat moves from Xavi and Messi. The star who ends up winning La Liga or the Champions League and who ends up contributing more on route to victory will most likely prevail as the best in the world. Both superstars have a plethora of skilled players supporting them such as Kaka in the case of Real Madrid.
The presence of Kaka with Los Blancos might tip the balance in Ronaldo’s favor since the Brazilian maestro is better in comparison to Barca’s other star players. Upfront Real’s Karim Benzema and Barca’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic will probably struggle to deliver given their hefty price tag since both tend to struggle in big games. ‘Ibra’ has never scored against the top teams in Europe and has not left his imprint on the international level and the same applies to Benzema. That will leave more for Ronaldo and Messi to do though Cristiano can rely on the creativity and vision of Kaka.
The two league games between Real Madrid and Barcelona could very well boil down to Ronaldo versus Messi though Kaka will likely have a big say. There will be a parade of stars if those two teams end up playing in the Santiago Bernabeu for the Champions League trophy come May 2010. Records and trophies aside, who would not want to have Messi or Ronaldo on his team?
{ 43 comments… read them below or add one }
Kaka
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Kaka? what about Xavi and Iniesta coupled with Yaya Youre – this is the most lethal midfield in the World. Kaka is world class no doubt about it but so are Xavi and Iniesta. Who do you think was the declared the best Midfielder of the Euro 2008, CL 2008/09 and Man of the Match in the CL Final? Xavi! Barcelona is not just Messi.
Without taking sides, Barca has the better team overall and Real will take time to gel and this will be felt the most against the big teams and not mediocre ones. Messi is not Barca but he is the club’s most influential player. Xavi and Iniesta are great players but Kaka is a step above them. The comparison was between C. Ronaldo and Messi due to their position on the field, yet this does not imply Kaka is inferior to them by any means. Kaka carried Milan on his shoulders in the CL Cup on many occasions. Your comments obviously make sense but this is all subjective and anything can change during the course of the season (injuries, suspensions, bad calls…) Thanks for your input.
I completely agree with you Jubei Kibagame. frankly, it is obvious that xavi, iniesta and toure together are the most lethal midfield in the world and kaka alongside xabi alonso dont sdant a chance against this midfield. also i would have to say that xavi is a better passer than kaka and that he control the game better. however kaka is more of an attacking midfielder and tends to score more goals. to add to this Barcelona’s attack consists of an unstoppable trio consisting of some of the best who arnt just technically gifted but mentally gifted aswell. Real madrid have either a one or two man attack, so if our attack and midfield is better than Barcelona are a better squad. Also having two of the best defenders in the world (Puyol and Milito) our defence is very strong. Not only this, but having a technical defender like dani alves who is the maestro of free kicks is a gift. the only thing that Real madrid are better in is goal keeping. So its fair we can say that with the best passing team in the world which always has at least 65% possession and out complete squad Barcelona are the best team in the world.
Would rather watch Kaka play than either Ronaldo or Messi.
Guys in India ESPN have not renewed the SPANISH LA LIGA’S TV RIGHTS, IT MEANS I CANT SEE EITHER RONALDO OR MESSI OR KAKA OR INIESTA.
CAN ANYONE PLEASE GIVE ME LA LIGA’s Email id??? (coudnt find the net)
REAL MADRID, BARCELONA, ATHLETICO, SEVILLA, VALENCIA’s, Email addresses (correct addresses??)
I have already sent mails to ESPN, John Dykes, Guillem Balague
Rami Soufi is an excellent writer!
Taking all into account i’d say Messi is superior to Ronaldo – that is if we consider Football a Team Sport. The statistics back it up – as much as Messi scores he provides a lot of assists as well. When Ronaldo is not scoring he is inefficient, he barely provides assists at all. In his freak 42 goal season he provided exactly 10 assists – and out of those 3 were in 1 game (against Aston Villa). In the 08/09 Season Messi was just 4 goals shy of Ronaldo’s 42 goals (07/08) but he provided 17 assists whereas CR provided 9. And at 1,69m you can’t expect Messi to score headers like Ronaldo. Now free-kicks – no one is doubting that CR scores spectacular free-kicks but his free-kick to goal ratio is not exceptional quite the contrary he misses A LOT. In comparison to Juninho he is not quite there yet but when he does it’s usually YouTube-worthy.
Hello Jubei,
I agree with you and that’s why I mentioned that Messi relies more on his moves, dribbling and skills (though he’s quite quick too). From a neutral standpoint, Messi has so far shown better attitude on the pitch while Ronaldo has provoked some opponents and complained to refs on many occasions. Overall, Messi has more of the “pure talent” while Ronaldo is the better physical specimen. You can see Messi dribble through a few players while Ronaldo often uses his speed or his powerful shot to outpace or avoid his opponents.
again, your comments are amazing to read my friend. Messi is better than Ronaldo if football is a team game which it is. Also, Messi’s goal to age ratio is alot better than Ronaldo’s. If you calculate using statistics by the time Messi is 24 he would have scored atleast 150 goals. Ronaldo who is 24 has scored 132.
Agreed! Good discussion.
to be honest i believe Ronaldo to be the better player. He is much more complete and adaptable than messi. In regards to the free kick ratio, It is true that messi’s free kick goal ratio is higher… HOWEVER, that is because Ronaldo takes free kicks from area’s Messi wouldn’t even consider. Since he attempts more difficult free kicks, his free kick goal ratio will naturally be lower.
CR9 is a better all around player,Messi is beter on the ground,CR9 is tops in the air,CR9 has more power on both feet,CR9 will score from 40meters out,CR9 can take a long ball in the air and redirected to his teamates for an for an easy goal, all of these traits apply to the old saying big skilled man will allways be better than a skilled small man.
Again – Messi is 1,69m, honestly do you expect him to score headers? Xavi then Alves that’s the pecking order for free kicks. Just for the sake of the argument – please watch any game with Ronaldo or Messi and say who is the better team player. I highly doubt it is CR…his statistics back it up. Talk numbers not subjective opinions. They numbers don’t lie. Messi’s goal to assist ratio is way better than Ronaldo’s.
I’m just taking their current “peak” seasons
Ronaldo 2007/08 Goals 42 Assists 10 – 3 of them in one game (against Aston Villa)
Messi 2008/09 Goals 38 Assists 17
that’s almost 1 assist for every goal he scores – in comparison Ronaldo’s ratio is far worse. If you eliminate the 3 assists against Aston Villa it’s 41 to 7 which is almost 1 assist for every 6 goals he scores.
*oops one Assist for every two goals Messi scores*
Hi Jubei,
I agreed with your original comment and still agree with what you wrote in your last two replies. Personally, I think it would be hard to judge the two overall at this point of their career. The past 12 months have seen Messi confirm his status as the best in the world while Ronaldo deserved that crown the season before. Just talking from the dribbling and nifty moves perspective, I do believe Messi to be the best at the moment. Just check the Barca-Atletico game earlier and how Messi easily handled three players before laying it off for another player to tap in. Still, the key is to wait a few more years and then one can fairly assess who has been better overall, but I think for now we can judge on a season by season basis. The treble winning season confirmed Messi as the best at this time.
Yeah! What about Xavi and Iniesta? They’re better than Kaká at the moment. Much better!
Hello Dokieh,
Agreed on Xavi, but Iniesta is still returning to match-fitness. If we’re to consider the past 12 months, then Kaka had an off-season but at his best Kaka is in the top three players in the world. Last season, both Xavi and Iniesta were phenomenal and contributed to Barca more than Kaka achieved with Milan yet look at the players around them (last year: Messi, Henry and Eto’o). Kaka barely had anyone worthy of notice at Milan.
First, I think few can dispute that Messi is the best player GIVEN CURRENT FORM!!
Ok – if we compare the two best seasons of Messi and Ronaldo it’s a little more grey -
Ronaldo – 42 Goals 10 Assists
Messi – 38 Goals 18 Assists
I’ll go with Messi simply because I think he brings in the team a lot more than Ronaldo. Even more than the sheer number of assists suggests!
Messi has greater playmaking ability than Ronaldo. In this respect, Messi probably has more in common with Gerrard than Ronaldo.
Very well written article!
This is promising to be an interesting year as CR and Kaka will join the talented Messi in La Liga. CR has proven to be one of the best in the Premiership, Kaka has proven to be the best in Serie A and Messi has propelled Barca to a treble. So let us enjoy watching them play for now and give our final verdict at the end of the season!
i think messi is more versatile than CR. messi also has more skills than CR does this makes me choose him over CR who is equally a very talented player.
U guys r just been sentimental,haba we witness 3 occasions when dey have met,messi destroys man u,RD was busin taclking puyol.
christiano ronaldo is the best player in the world .ronaldo is greater than messi.
ronaldo is most virsital than messi he is strong and quick .
messi is the best
and look, have you ever seen ronaldo scoring against barca? 2 years ago he had a penalty which a 5 yaer old could score but he missd it. he had a free kick in the final and valdes blocked it. he only scores freekicks against shit teams.
but see messi, he might not be that good in freekics but his goal scoring and assistance are briliant. he even scored against manchester in the final with a header the shortest player on the pitch found the target with a header thats amazying.
also ronaldo had like 3-4 opportunities in the final against batca but valdes vas better than him he saved evry shot that cam to him even re-bounds.
overall i think messi is better than ronaldo even though ronaldo has fancy footwork.
GO BARCA, GO MESSI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and i also forgot to tell u gays that i think ronaldo is becoming just a name now and all good memory of 07/08 season. i like ronaldinho but hes is just a name and good memories too of 04/05, 05/06 seasons with barca. the only diffrence between ronaldo and ronaldinho is ronaldo is 24 yrs old and ronaldinho is 29 and ofcourse ronaldo is fater than him.
thanks guys
Filip.
Ronaldo only scores free kick goals against shit teams..like Arsenal?.
Messi is stronger on the ball than ronaldo
messi is smaller than c.ronaldo but messi fooled many ,many big defenders ,which c.ronaldo cant do.
ronaldo cost manutd the last final and if compare him to messi, this guy can move with the ball much faster & more dangerous.
ronaldo is da best
ronaldo is da best messi is a shit player if da world look at ronaldo tacnecis ronaldo is better then all messi cant control da ball he is da shit player
This is the most retarded article I ever read. It completely disregards Ibra’s qualities as a player and the options and impact he has on a team. Quite frankly it’s laughable that there’s an option “Kaka” is better than both, when Ibra has outshined Kaka for the last 3 years.
Ibra rarely performs on the big stage. He has not won the Champions League or the World Cup; he disappears on the big occasions; he had same issue with Juventus and Inter. Let’s see if this changes with Barca. This is not to take anything away from the giant Swede because he is quite talented but Kaka led the Rossoneri to the Champions League title a couple of years ago while Ibra has been able to perform greatly in clashes with the smaller teams in both Serie A and la Liga.
should ronaldo see a very good defender (likes of Gatusso and Puyol), he’s always frustrated, on the otherhand, no single defender can hold messi. They have to be 2 or 3, even 4 sometimes. Messi Outshines
I believe I better than Ronaldo, Messi y Kaka. They are of quality but i am best. If i have chance to show the world they will see.
I’m not actually Robinho by the way. Just having a laugh.
Listen up hoes! There isn’t one player in this generation that comes close to Messi. I’m sick of these dumb articles comparing Kaka and Ronaldo and all these other twats to Messi. Don’t be so easily fooled by the media. They put this crap in peoples heads to make stories that they know will last and bring in revenue. Thats the way of the world. BUT Messi is the only player since Zidane who has a chance of being remembered as a true great. The guy has incredible balance, he’s an absolute flyer, has a great shot, a football brain, he never takes the easy option, doesn’t dive, can header the ball (everyone says he can’t but he’s a shrimp so his physique isn’t suited to it, but he actually can) and he’s got a winning mentality. The one weakness in his game at the moment is his free-kick taking ability. Personally i think he’s trying to base his technique on Ronaldinho’s and this doesnt seem to be working for him. In fairness though, his free-kicks have been improving this year (if only a little).
Don’t get me wrong, I think Ronaldo and kaka are smashing players too, no question. But theyre not on the same level, simple as that. I’m not argentinean or spanish or a barcelona fan or from some country who hate portuguese or brazilian people (or real madrid players), it’s just that I look at football as football, not a circus. Amen. (oh and my real name isnt Jon Bon Jovi as u mite hav guessed….)
Amen Jon Bon Jovi!!!:L:L
Thank you kindly beebee.
By the way, all those dudes up top talking crap…. stop talking crap. Don’t make out as if you know anything about football. Do you play? Have you played? And don’t give me the “i played for my international team at underage level” or “i am playing for the reserve team at some big club”. I know plenty of people who have and are doing both and more, and most of them are crap and don’t understand the game. I’m not gonna say who I play for and u twats will probably think I don’t play for anyone half decent, or I’m bluffing. Hey, whatever, i couldn’t care less.
(Deep breath) Ok ok, sorry for losing the old temper there. But seriously, give us a break.
i my opinion CR9 plays different rules in his club whereas LM plays his own part in his club.so CR9 is my own choice.CR is atletic
CR is simply d best at dis moment another day for LM.HOW many youngsters achieve what CR HAS DONE.
Ronaldo SUCKED in the Clasico!!Messi was wayy better,played around with Real’s Defender.And the Big Flop Ibra,DECIDED the Game with a Wonderful GoAL!!