Comparing Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo – Version 1.0
It was only a few seasons ago that Cristiano Ronaldo was widely considered the best player in the world. Now, it’s probably a consensus that Lionel Messi has taken over that position. So, how do these two great players compare?
Below is the first edition of my comparison, Messi v Ronaldo. In this version (1.0), Messi clearly has the advantage in most of the categories but Ronaldo is not far behind. Both players are a step above the rest of the world.
Speed
This one is going to be split as Messi has greater quickness but Ronaldo wins out on longer distances. It’s not too complicated when you break down as Messi’s smaller size gives him better agility to sprint past defenders in a 10-15 yard sprint. Ronaldo has the advantage with longer runs as his height translates into a larger stride. To sum it up, Messi wins the short distance sprint while Ronaldo wins the longer distance sprint. It’s a split
Advantage to neither (tie)
Physicality
This is the one place where Cristiano Ronaldo has a clear advantage. His height and strength are above Messi’s. This isn’t to say that Messi is a weak by any stretch but Ronaldo is 6 feet 1 compared to Messi’s 5’7. Messi might have as strong as will as anyone but if he’s going for a ball in the air against Ronaldo, there’s little doubt who will win the header.
Advantage to Ronaldo
Dribbling
Ronaldo is known to do his patented step over but Messi wins this category. His feet are better than anyone and can dribble through multiple defenders at any time. What hurts Messi in the physicality category actually helps him in this one. His lack of height makes him have a low center of gravity and able to dribble past defenders with ease.
Advantage to Messi
Set Pieces/Free Kicks
For a while, Cristiano Ronaldo was very highly regarded as a master of free kicks. Messi, who doesn’t score a lot of set piece goals, is often underrated in this area. He’s more than capable of scoring from free kicks or set pieces. While the two may be about a draw from free kicks, it’s Ronaldo’s ability to score from corner kicks with his head that’s the difference.
Advantage to Ronaldo
Finishing/Scoring Ability
Both players have impressive goal scoring records but currently Messi is on another level. Ronaldo’s goal scoring rate is nothing to laugh at but he’s just a step below Messi. While the actual goal amount is about equal in recent seasons, Ronaldo has scored many from penalty kicks. This also isn’t about the specific numbers but who would you trust to finish goal scoring chances. Messi is unmatched in this aspect but Ronaldo is not far behind.
Advantage to Messi
Injuries
Neither player has had many significant injuries and this is even. Things could change but at the moment both have had relatively healthy careers.
Advantage to neither (tie)
Overall
A few years ago, this would have been even but Messi has clearly established himself as the best. Whether he’s going to be the greatest ever is another question but currently he’s a step above Ronaldo. Again, this is still very close and Ronaldo is still a great player. The two will likely be competing for FIFA Ballon d’Or awards for the next several years.
Contribution to teams success – re assists should also be a considered.
The comparison was good, with the exception of the final decision, Messi does not deserve that title, because he has not proven himself away from Barcelona, where Cristiano has already done so with, Sporting Lisbon, Man United and presently Real Madrid. Cristiano has also out shone Messi on an international level through there careers.
i agree with everything except for the dribbling part, that’s a HECK NO..!!!!
One very important thing you have failed to include is Ronaldo is a two footed player. Messi is very one footed, using only his left foot 99% of the time. As any defender will tell you it is MUCH harder to defend a two footed player. Being a defender myself, with Ronaldos size, speed, skill and ability to use either foot, I would rather defend Messi any day of the week.
imagine if he were to use both feet.Ronaldo is a crybaby. messi never complains
There is no comparisim between Ronaldo and Messi. Ronaldo is better. Rolnado is in everyway better being a winger and outshining strikers from around the world. He is better because he is tested. He has played in almost all leagues and has shown himself as a great player. Playing with different skill sets and managerial phylosophy, yet he still shines. If he plays in barca, he will most definetly dominate. Messi, needs to come out of the baked team Barca and try out to establish himself as a strong player. Under other managers, new players and fan base. Lets see how he would do. Another thing is Ronaldo is also prolific in the international scene, has more rating and credits. Even a goat can coach Barca to a title. People should please stop comparing Messi to Ronald, its a complete miss match.
the only reason why all d people rate messi better than ronaldo is because of messi’s humility, n cristiano’s arrogance…..other than that cristiano is better than messi in every aspect…physically, tactically, freekicks, penalties , headers , dribbling n what not … but thats what evryone who hates cristiano knows…lol
its no contest. the gulf between messi and ronaldo is at least as large as the gulf between them and the rest of the world. anyone who argues that ronaldo is better is delusional. probably tricked by his gelly hair and oily smile
Two great players. However, I would a tie. Its still puzzling how Messi is able to score, pass dribbling mostly with his left and with very predictable moves.Maradona did the same but he was quicker and could “cut” on a dime ( unlike Messi). Messi is a far better team player( not as selfish) and this is one area Ronaldo ranks second. But Free kicks, dribbling, physicality….all Ronaldo’s. To creat and break open matches….Messi.
pretty simple comparison – difficult to do with a sport like soccer. I think Joel is pretty far off in his success comparisons. Club wise, Messi has only played at Barcelona, so that comparison is a wash – though if we want to count head to head matchups on big stages (classicos, Champ League finals), I don’t think you’ll find anybody saying that Crinaldo comes out on top. Neither has been particularly success on the international level, though I believe Argentina has advanced farther than Portugal as of late.
And Paul, I don’t think your idea that Messi is one-footed means anything. World class defenders regularly are left in the dust by both.
I think in the end, you have to decide on winning – for club, that goes to Messi. For country, that goes to neither. I think you can also make a case for likeability, in the sense that when Messi scores, his teammates seem geniunely happy. On the otherhand, CR7 has had his issue in Madrid, both his his teammates and the fans.
Messi is better than Ronaldo in every aspect of the game.
I actually think that if you put Ronaldo with Xavi and Iniesta he far surpasses Messi’s totals. Messi owes at least one World Player of the Year award to each of them.
leo Messi is the best period
Well said Paul
Out shone Messi on at international level? WTF are you smoking you moron? Ronaldo has done jack shit for Portugal.
It’s funny how you retards say he needs to prove himself in another league. What… you him to play Wigan, Bolton and West Brom in December just to prove he’s the best. He’s already dominated German, Italian and English competition in the CL, what more do you need?
One more thing, do some more research; that goes to the writer of this article too. Messi has a higher percentage scoring from free kicks. Just saying. Dumbasses.
Even myself, if I play around Xavi and Iniesta,they would make me look great !!!!!!
He is one of the greatest, but he has not won yet a world cup- He has not yet “scored” in a W.Cup for Argentina.He has even not a Copa of South America on his belt.But HE IS GOOD !!!!!I am still waiting !
E——-
I agree both Argentina and Portugal have won nothing in of late, but Ronaldo has had better performances for his country than Messi has for his, and don’t think i forgot Messi’s recent hat trick cause that’s one in a million. Messi is a centre forward while CR7 in not and yet they score roughly around the same goals if not the same amount at the end of the season. Messi is simply a left footed Barcelona player, he does not have the same effect with Argentina as he does for Barcelona. Ronaldo rules.
Messi is a leech and Ronaldo is a predator
messi is the better than ronaldo and that final
Is like compare a diamond with a piece of rock.
Messi has everithing. Ronaldo without speed will be another Beckman. Free kicks
CR is still better than Messi anyway you could think of.
Any player with great ball control can do what Messi does, and that’s just run with d ball as plain as he does, he does nothing out of d ordinary with d ball, where Ronaldo will beat a defender or 2 with skill from standstill and then accelerate away from them, push and run, what’s so great about dat.
even a blind man can tell you that messi is the best player ever. No more complain
I love how you all say that it doesn’t matter if Messi has only played for Barca… It does matter, Messi is 5’7″ and maybe 160 lbs soaking wet, you put him in a full season against the faster more physical defenders in EPL he scores maybe half the goals he does at Barca, maybe half…. Ronaldo has already proven himself in England when the EPL was then unanimously the best league in Europe… Also, Ronaldo being ambidextrous with his feet makes him a better athlete plain and simple and he didnt need to take steroids and growth hormones to do it… Bottom line is if you put Berbatov with Iniesta and Xavi he would score 40-45 goals a season… CR7′s athleticism and goal scoring rate is unmatched since he arrived at Madrid, and im not even going to talk about free kick ability, it’s a joke to even compare Messi to Ronaldo… and when’s the last time you’ve seen Messi score from more than 20 yards out??? hmmmm
sometimes not winning a world cup doesnt take away your greatnest.. platini, zico, di stefano, cruyff, baggio, george best etc never won.. i think winning the champions league is way more important now.. both players played with star players throughout their career.. being one footed dont mean nothing they still cant stop him.. messi do score with his right foot when needed..oth of them sucks at the international level compare to when they play for their clubs… lets talk about this in the next 5 yrs..
‘any player with great ball control can do what messi does’….what an asinine statement!!!!!…. so inadvertently you’re saying that no other player in the world in this era has ‘great ball control’, since it is a forgone conclusion (backed up by any stat you can find) that no other player does what messi does….stats don’t lie…and the experts don’t lie either! The greats of the game and all footballing pundits have been comparing messi to the likes of pele and maradonna….that speaks for itself! it’s also amazing that this article has failed to adequately compare a category so crucial as “assists”…..a marker that speaks not only to the ability of a player to clinically create opportunities for those around him, but confers general tactical knowledge and understanding of the sport! For a number of football philosophers, the mark of a great player is one with the ability to ‘shine’ in ‘big game’ scenarios….take,for example, the highly acclaimed ‘clasico’ or ‘champions league’ games where messi always seems to outshine his counterpart and has been credited as the driving force behind barcelona’s head-to-head and overall success vs madrid since 2008. Many assess greatness by the number of career trophies won (check the stats and see who wins this comparison outright!!…..notwithstanding ronaldo is three years messi’s elder…just imagine what can be further accomplished in three years of any player’s career….far less one of messi’s status….of course with the provision that no extenuating circumstances arise to curtail his career). But the attribute that ultimately separates messi from cr, and indeed all other players of this generation, at least, is his psychological acuity!! it has often been said, and proven many times, that messi is mentally tougher than cr. As a medical doctor who has studied a fair amount of psychiatry, i can assure u that the psychological prowess of messi, is his greatest attribute!
messi is better than ronaldo because he has demonstrated that he is mentally stronger, hence his abitlity to outshine ronaldo time after time in the ‘big game’ scenarios….take for example ‘el clasicos’ or ‘champions league’.
If Messi is a center forward, why doesn’t he score more goals than CR7 a midfielder, season after season. I never said there aren’t players with great ball control, cause there are who do the same push and run and yet why aren’t they considered the greatest in the world. Since Zico was mentioned, then Neymar should be the best in player of this generation in the world. Without both Xavi and Iniesta playing with Messi, how many games do they win, now compare CR7 without with Kaka and Ozil, which they rarely play together, it’s mostly one or the other.