JUST IN๐ (DOKU) It is disrespectful to Ronaldo to compare Messi to him. You remain a mediocre player if you haven’t demonstrated your skills in.
Essayย onย theย Comparisonย andย Contrastย betweenย Lionelย Messiย andย Cristianoย Ronaldo.
Soccer is one of the most popular sports on the planet, with hundreds of millions of watchers worldwide. The title for the best player in the world is currently contested between two remarkable and highly-talented players โ Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Although the impact of a single player is hard to determine in a game of two teams of 11 players each, it is possible to compare their playstyles, dynamics, and results. The purpose of this paper is to provide an accurate comparison between Ronaldo and Messi and determine the best player out of the two.
Ronaldo is classified as a fast striker who uses his superior athletics and agility to get in position and deliver accurate goals, using his head and both feet. Ambidexterity, in that regard, makes it easier for him to strike from unexpected angles (โCristiano Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messiโ). Messiโs playstyle has some similarities in the athleticism part, as he has a good pace and dribbling. However, he has a lower center of gravity and uses it to bypass and outmaneuver opponents. Unlike Ronaldo, he is a predominantly left-foot player with a more complex playing style involving around engaging with the rest of the team (โCristiano Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messiโ). Based on the playstyle alone, it is impossible to determine a better player.
In the scope of his career, the results between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have been close to comparable. As of the end of 2020, Ronaldo managed to score 790 goals, having played in 1080 games (โMessi vs. Ronaldoโ). Messiโs track record is a bit shorter, with 752 goals in 935 games (โMessi vs. Ronaldoโ). So, the overall number of goals is in Ronaldoโs favor. The scoring rate, however, is in Messiโs favor, as he has a 0.80 goal rate per game versus Ronaldoโs 0.73 goal rate (โMessi vs. Ronaldoโ). Since Ronaldo played 145 games more than Messi, he can be considered a more experienced player (โMessi vs. Ronaldoโ).
At the same time, Messi has shown to be a better team player, with 88 assists more than Ronaldo despite having a shorter career (โMessi vs. Ronaldoโ). Based on these statistics, it can be concluded that Messi is a better team player and is more likely to score goals than Ronaldo, despite having played fewer games in his career.
Leonel Messiโs career, until recently, is associated exclusively with FC Barcelona, along with frequent appearances on the rosters of Argentinaโs national soccer team. Ronaldo had a different career path. Besides his matches in Portugalโs national team, he played in Sporting, Juventus, Manchester United, and Real Madrid, with the latter two comprising the majority of his matches (โMessi vs. Ronaldoโ). It is harder to estimate Messiโs performance outside of Barcelona, where he is not complimented by the strength of his team. Ronaldo showed unremarkable results in Sporting and Manchester United, between 0.16 and 0.40 goals a match, demonstrating how important the overall strength of the team is in empowering individual stars (โMessi vs. Ronaldoโ).
Ronaldo played more seasons as a professional player compared to Messi, with 18 complete seasons versus 16. At the same time, Messi sports a better tournament statistic, with 35 tournaments out of 75 being won against Ronaldoโs 32 victories in 78 tournaments (โMessi vs. Ronaldoโ). Based on this data, it can be concluded that Messi had a more successful career, though it is unclear how big his teamโs contribution was to that result.Ronaldo and Messi offer two different playstyles to the table and have led their teams to victories on numerous occasions. Though Messi has proven to have a slight edge in terms of playing statistics and overall career achievements, it could have come from playing in a strong, dominant team for his entire career. Ronaldoโs performance in Real Madrid outdoes that of Messi, showing that different circumstances outside of the playerโs control may have a direct influence on performance. The results over a long-term scale do not allow for determining the best player between the two.