Messi vs Ronaldo

Messi vs Ronaldo Stats at the Bottom

Full Name	Born	Country	Height	WAG	Son
Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini	24/06/1987 (age 28)	Argentina	1.69 m	Antonella Roccuzzo	Thiago Messi
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro	05/02/1985 (age 30)	Portugal	1.85 m	-	Cristiano

Football fans living in this generation are extremely lucky to witness two of the greatest players to have graced the game. Barcelona’s Argentine superstar Lionel Messi and Real Madrid’s Portuguese talisman Cristiano Ronaldo have marked this generation as their own with consistent displays of flair, ability and passion for the beautiful game. Both the stars boasting off a huge fan base across the globe, have often attracted a lot of comparison between the two… While Messi is by far judged as the best player in the world, with 4 Ballon D’Ors, Cristiano is a close second, a fearless competitor with 3 Ballon D’Ors.

Technical and Mental Attributes: The skill on and off the ball

A footballer’s ability is judged on how well he works with as well as without the ball at his feet. Both these stars are very strong in these aspects of play. Messi is a no-nonsense dribbler with a low centre of gravity, a very strong core and extremely quick feet. He would nonchalantly glide past defenders as if they were never there. His approach has caused a lot of problems for the defenders who faced him, as he barely wastes anytime with the ball as he zooms past them with only two objectives in his mind, score or create.

Gary Lineker (2014)

“They are definitely the two best players in the world but for me, Messi is better because he is a team player”.

Ronaldo’s ability on the ball is top quality yet different in comparison to Messi’s. His taller frame doesn’t provide him the natural balance like Messi, yet he has developed his physique so well over the years that he has learnt to power his way past defenders. He also boasts off a lot of skills with the balls, famously executing the “Ronaldo Chop” on many occasions.

Both footballers work well without the ball as well. Messi, who started off as a winger is now a classic false striker or a traditional supporting striker who plays behind the traditional striker. Messi makes crucial runs into pockets of space among defenders whom he can easily beat with his pace off the mark and God-Like close control. He fits in perfectly in a team-mate contain style of defending as he does his job of closing down and containing the opposition in his areas of the pitch.

Pele (2014)

“Ronaldo right now is the best in Europe. I think at the moment no doubtRonaldo is the best player, but until now Messi was the best.”

Ronaldo is a very fast and intelligent channel runner and is a playmaker’s delight and a defender’s nightmare. His power and pace allows him to make runs into space behind the defence to collect through passes. He never seems to be too bothered if surrounded by defenders as he has too much of flair and tricks to bamboozle them. His work rate without the ball is as good as well, as he seldom gave managers problems regarding that. He does close down his areas of the pitch in a satisfactory manner, and he’s hungry and passionate about the sport.

The Shooting and the finishing: Who is more lethal?

Both of them are excellent finishers but Messi is much more clinical that Cristiano. On an average, Ronaldo attempts more shots on goal than Messi, and has a much lesser shooting accuracy. His goal tally however is top, but has mostly been behind Messi in La Liga. Recently, Ronaldo broke Messi’s record of 14 goals by scoring 17 in the UCL.
Messi’s shooting is based on accuracy. His skill on the ball is so good that he can take accurate shots from crowded situations as well. Messi doesn’t shoot too often from a long distance, and rather prefers to beat players off the dribble and shoot from closer range.

Maradona (2013)

“Today, Messi is the number 1 footballer in the world, followed by Ronaldo, Neymar and Balotelli and perhaps by a handful of others. Cristiano kicks the ball in a way Messi can’t, but Messi has the ability to get through a group of players, something the Portuguese just can’t do.”

Ronaldo likes to get his shot away as many times as possible. He has a very powerful shot, which he puts to good use while shooting from a distance. His accuracy is somewhat lesser than what Messi offers. Hence it is pretty obvious that Ronaldo would perform a few tricks to make just enough space to shoot from anywhere near the goal. Messi can surely create space but his power isn’t as high as Ronaldo’s so the fewer long rangers from him.
Both are very good set-piece takers as they have registered many penalty and free-kick goals. Messi relies more on accuracy and bend on the free-kicks whereas Cristiano has his special knuckle-ball technique of shooting with power and sudden swing and dip in the air.

Therefore, both are arguably equally lethal with one having power, the other having accuracy.

Ronaldinho (2012)

“Cristiano Ronaldo is making history for a few years now, but I still think that it’s Lionel Messi who is the current best football player in the World.”

The Overall Image and Personality

Messi has a very positive image in society. He is termed as a very humble footballer and a top notch professional. His loyalty towards Barcelona is heavily appreciated by the Catalan club’s faithful while his decision to play for his country of birth, Argentine speaks volumes about his character, of not letting his own country down. He is a soft-spoken person, and someone who is known as the classic dribbler with some deceiving physical strength for his short frame and is often compared to his compatriot Maradona.

Jose Mourinho (2012)

“I think it would be a crime Cristiano not win the 2012 Golden Ball.”

Ronaldo is more known as the complete footballer- with physical as well as technical presence. He has a tainted social image but has a much larger fan base than Messi. He is often called selfish because he prefers to shoot rather than create chances for his team-mates. He is also called arrogant sometimes when he gives his speeches to the media, yet most of the people believe that this is his passion for the sport.

Here are the updated Goal Statistics of Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo this season (2015/2016):

(updated immediately after every match)

Goals 2015/2016	La Liga	Champions League	Other Cups	TOTAL
Messi	4	2	3	9
Ronaldo	9	7	0	16

Goals/Games 2015/2016	La Liga	Champions League	Other Cups	TOTAL
Messi	50%	100%	100%	69%
Ronaldo	69%	140%	0%	88%

Assists/Games 2015/2016	La Liga	Champions League	Other Cups	TOTAL
Messi	25%	50%	0%	23%
Ronaldo	15%	40%	0%	22%

Goal Statistics of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo last season (2014/2015):

Goals 2014/2015	La Liga	Champions League	Other Cups	TOTAL
Messi	43	10	5	58
Ronaldo	48	10	3	61

Goals/Games 2014/2015	La Liga	Champions League	Other Cups	TOTAL
Messi	113%	77%	83%	102%
Ronaldo	137%	83%	43%	113%

Assists/Games 2014/2015	La Liga	Champions League	Other Cups	TOTAL
Messi	47%	46%	67%	49%
Ronaldo	46%	33%	28%	41%

Goal Statistics of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo season (2013/2014):

Goals 2013/2014	La Liga	Champions League	Other Cups	TOTAL
Messi	28	8	5	41
Ronaldo	31	17	3	51

Goals/Games 2013/2014	La Liga	Champions League	Other Cups	TOTAL
Messi	90%	114%	63%	89%
Ronaldo	103%	155%	50%	109%

Assists/Games 2013/2014	La Liga	Champions League	Other Cups	TOTAL
Messi	35%	0%	38%	30%
Ronaldo	30%	45%	17%	32%

Goal Statistics of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo previous seasons:

2012/2013	La Liga	Champions League	Other Cups	TOTAL
Messi	46	8	6	60
Ronaldo	34	12	9	55

2011/2012	La Liga	Champions League	Other Cups	TOTAL
Messi	50	14	9	73
Ronaldo	46	10	4	60

2010/2011	La Liga	Champions League	Other Cups	TOTAL
Messi	31	12	10	53
Ronaldo	40	6	7	53

2009/2010	La Liga	Champions League	Other Cups	TOTAL
Messi	34	8	5	47
Ronaldo	26	7	0	33

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