Ronaldo vs. Messi

Messi vs. Ronaldo

Every generation of football is littered with all sorts of players, some unforgettable, others not so much. Over the past decade (roughly) we, football fans, have been treated to the brilliance of two of these unforgettable players. Both with the ability to change a game and divide the local pub on who they think is better. Naturally, we’re talking Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona’s Lionel Messi. The obsession over proving who is the superior player knows no bounds as there is even a site (MessivsRonaldo.net) dedicated to their every footballing endeavor. A quick scan over their rating system and they came to the conclusion that Messi scored a 69/80 and Ronaldo a 67/80 when taking into account 8 different factors (Goalscoring, Physicality…). This slight edge to Messi is starting to become the more popular view, especially as Ronaldo has never really endeared himself to as many fans with some of his actions.

           For Cristiano Ronaldo his career really began to take flight when his side Sporting Clube de Portugal took on Manchester United. The players from United came off the pitch that day so in awe of what they had witnessed that they urged manager Sir Alex Ferguson to sign him (Ronaldo) immediately. Shortly thereafter Ronaldo did indeed switch to Manchester United for a fee of £12.24 million, and his career began to skyrocket. It didn’t take long for the young Ronaldo to make his impression as he helped United win the FA Cup in his second season there. From that point on the awards came almost as quickly as the goals. In 2007, Ronaldo won all four PFA and FWA awards and scored 26 goals for club and country .The following season he won the prestigious Ballon D’or trophy (best player in the world) and scored a massive 31 premier league goals and 9 Champions League goals. At this point he had taken the crown as the best player in the world, and was just beginning to enter his prime.

After another successful season at United Ronaldo felt it was time to fulfill his childhood dream and play for the Spanish Giants, Real Madrid. A record fee was agreed to £80 million and he was on his way to begin the next chapter. From the moment he arrived in Madrid he immediately endeared himself to the clubs supporters with an excellent return of 26 goals in 28 games, but this was just the tip of the iceberg. Over the next two seasons Ronaldo netted an amazing 86 goals in just 69 games, while also chipping in 22 assists. This type of production was matched by only one other man, Lionel Messi.

Contrary to Ronaldo’s movements from club to club, Messi has grown up in the Barcelona system. After spending over 3 years playing for various junior teams Messi was finally handed his debut against Porto in a friendly at the age of 16. The following season then manager Frank Rijkaard handed him his league debut, becoming Barcelona’s third youngest ever debutant. After a trouble patch with a muscle tear in his right thigh, Messi finally became a first team regular in the 2006/2007 season. During that season Messi began to live up to his “New Maradona” label as he netted a hat-trick in one of Barcelona’s biggest matches, El Clasico.

The 2007/2008 season was huge for Messi as he became a household name by finishing third in the Ballon D’or voting and second for the FIFA Young Player of the Year Award. In 2009 Messi won his first (of 4) Ballon D’or trophies by the biggest margin in the history of the award, and was widely recognized as either the best or second best player in the world. Since the 2009 season Messi has scored an astonishing 150 goals in only 120 La Liga games, and recently broke the all-time record for goals scored in a calendar year with 91.

Now let’s take a look at how these two compared statistically over the past 3 years:

Season: 2012-2013	Cristiano Ronaldo	Lionel Messi
La Liga Matches	23	23
Goals	24	35
Assists	4	9
Shots on Target	74	61
Fouls committed	19	10
Fouls suffered	52	56
Yellow cards	5	1

Season: 2011-2012	Cristiano Ronaldo	Lionel Messi
La Liga Matches	37	36
Goals	46	50
Assists	12	15
Shots on Target	102	99
Fouls commited	32	27
Fouls suffered	95	78
Yellow cards	4	6

Season: 2010-2011	Cristiano Ronaldo	Lionel Messi
La Liga matches	38	38
Goals	40	31
Assists	10	18
Shots on Target	104	80
Passes	1045	1927
Balls recovered	42	51
Balls lost	391	358
Offsides	16	18
Fouls commited	24	22
Fouls suffered	88	57
Yellow cards	2	3

Clearly, Messi is having the better season this year both by individual and team standards, but the last two seasons prior have been razor close. An argument can be made that Messi creates more chances for his teammates, but that is often countered with the fact that two of his teammates (Xavi, Iniesta) are routinely nominated for the Ballon D’or as well. So as the statistics don’t offer up much to separate these two fantastic players, here are my thoughts.

Physicality – The edge here goes to Ronaldo although it is a lot closer than everyone thinks. Yes Ronaldo has been blessed with excellent pace and the ability to jump better than most, but Messi is also lightning fast and has an extremely low center of gravity. This allows for the ball to stick to his feet while dribbling, thus making it very difficult to nick the ball from him. Score – Ronaldo (10) Messi (9)

Instincts – Also known as the mental aspect of the game, this is equally important as the physical side. Both players have world-class awareness that ensures they know what is going on around them at all times, which makes their movement without the ball critical. They see runs and passes before others which lead to better goal scoring opportunities. The difference here is minimal but the edge does go to Messi. Score – Ronaldo (9.5) Messi (10)

Goal Scoring – Not much to say here that isn’t blatantly obvious. Records have been falling left and right recently with both players racking up goals at an incredible rate (over 1 goal a game!). Score – Ronaldo (10) Messi (10)

Skill & Technique – This category was by far the hardest to score as both players offer such a different blend of skills. For Messi it’s incredibly quick movements and changes of direction that trouble defenders, while Ronaldo is widely regarded as the best “flair” player in the game. His mix of step-overs and drag-backs are a sight to see. As far as effectiveness is concerned Messi is able to accomplish more with less (actions), but Ronaldo is right there with him in terms of tricking the opposition. Score – Ronaldo (10) Messi (10)

Passing – On first thought one would immediately assume this category belongs firmly to Messi, but upon further review Ronaldo is a deceptively good passer. Messi is the more willing passer and incorporates teammates at a much higher rate, but many of those passes are less than ten yards. Messi’s passing acumen isn’t on full display until he gets around the box, which is when his one-touch play is flawless. Ronaldo is viewed as a selfish player that could stand to pass more, however that couldn’t be further from the truth. What stands out about his passing is the precision in which he delivers the ball. Despite not amassing the pass totals of his counterpart Ronaldo almost always delivers the perfect ball (or cross), and more importantly it’s on time. Score – Ronaldo (9) Messi (9.5)

Defensive Interest – Since both players are often very high up the pitch neither is required to track back regularly and do a job defensively. Their physical and mental prowess means they usually win the ball back and make tackles at a very high rate while not committing fouls.  Score – Ronaldo (7.5) Messi (8.5)

Level of Competition – This is usually the argument made when someone is choosing Ronaldo as the best. He has proven that he can be great while dealing with adversity that Messi has yet to come across on a consistent basis. During his (Ronaldo) time in the Premier League he had to battle week in and week out against the physical style of play in English Football. Not only did Ronaldo handle the physical rigors, he excelled.  Conversely, Messi has spent his entire club career playing in La Liga, a league suited for his and Barcelona’s style of play. Teams aren’t allowed to get physical or play as aggressively as in England which makes Messi’s job easier considering his frame. The question will always remain as to whether he could hold up and play at the same level in the Premier League. I think not. He would still be a top player but in my estimation the production would go down. Score – Ronaldo (10) Messi (8)

Total - Ronaldo (66) Messi (65)

Conclusion – The ratings tally up for a one point victory for Ronaldo, but honestly it is so close that a draw may be fairer (nobody likes a draw though). For me it came down to my belief that Messi has greatly benefited from the system that he plays in, a system catered around his skill set. Yes, Ronaldo is the main beneficiary of Madrid’s setup as well, but he has also thrived in another system (at Manchester United). As the saying goes, “Until Messi does it at a cold night in Stoke” people will always wonder how well his greatness would translate in other places. On a more serious note, both are phenomenal athletes that make our sport of Football that much better. Being able to watch these two on a consistent basis is a treat and something that we will remember decades after they retire. Maybe in five years this will have a more definitive answer, but until then just sit back and enjoy each one while you still can.

If you agree or disagree please feel free to leave a comment stating what you think. Or hit me up on twitter @inongoal if you’d like. Thanks for reading!

The Return of a Legend - Part 1

“Your love makes me strong, your hate makes me unstoppable”

August 16, 2003 – Match day: Given the stature and popularity of Manchester United every match day is an occasion worth being excited about, but on this particular day the excitement was hardly containable. It had nothing to do with the opponents, Bolton, but everything to do with the transfer that took place only three days prior. United had fought off a host of other top clubs across Europe for the signature of one of the brightest prospects in the world. The boy, only 18 years of age, was so highly thought of by manager Sir Alex Ferguson that he was bequeathed the prestigious number seven jersey that had been worn by United greats. That jersey brought great pressure and even greater expectations capable of breaking lesser players, but not this player.

Sixty minutes into the match the moment had arrived. With United leading 1-0 Ferguson decided it was time to debut his new number seven. Old Trafford sprang to life as fans cheered with such vigor; cheers for a player that had terrorized them less than two weeks prior. As Nicky Butt trudged towards the sidelines the camera stayed trained on his replacement who wore a face so focused and determined he barely seemed to notice the rousing ovation he received. After a quick shake of hands (with Butt) and kiss of his wrist, the Theatre of Dreams was for the first time graced with the presence of one Cristiano Ronaldo.

His introduction sparked United and led to three more goals for the home side as they routed visiting Bolton 4-0. A win for United always sends fans home happy but on that day they had just witnessed greatness, and they knew it.