As the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals have been completed, the comparisons between the world’s two greatest players are predictably coming out of every media outlet. This one is no different.
Real Madrid may not have gained the result they craved in Turin, but on the bright side (for him at least), Cristiano Ronaldo scored, taking him one goal ahead of his great rival Lionel Messi in the all-time Champions League scoring charts. One night later, and after putting Jerome Boateng on his backside in a way Steph Curry (NBA MVP) would be proud of, Messi edged ahead again, his double taking him to 77 goals in 97 games.
The debate about who is the best player on the planet has raged for years, ever since Ronaldo jetted over to Madrid to challenge the little genius in his own league. The statistics tell one side of the story. Since he moved to Madrid, Ronaldo has 306 goals and 83 assists in 296 appearances boasting a goal ratio of 1.03 per game (29 hat-tricks). Meanwhile, having made 315 appearances, Messi has accumulated 327 goals and 120 assists with a goal ratio of 1.04 (30 hat-tricks). Stats from http://www.messivsronaldo.net
No matter what way you look at it, these guys are both out of this world, but since when did we become so obsessed with statistics? It’s obvious they are in a class of their own, with very little to separate them going by the numbers. However, for this columnist, there really is no debate. Messi is the greatest player in the world, and I don't think Ronaldo ever really got close to him.
This is nothing to do with Ronaldo’s unlikable side, not the sulking, the petulance, nor the dramatic way he uses the Santiago Bernabeu as his stage, because those things are really nothing to do with football. The numbers are simply insane with these incredible players, so to separate them, we must look at the intangibles.
Ronaldo is about as perfect an athlete as you could build for football, he is a relentless trainer and his drive to be the best individual player in the world is something to be admired, not scoffed at. He has spent countless hours perfecting each step over, each finish, and there might not be a more impressive header of the ball in world football. His body is a machine, built specifically for football, his speed, his leaping ability, the power he generates in a strike, all a testament to his work ethic.
Unfortunately, try as he might, he still doesn't quite measure up to what Messi brings to the table. The numbers can’t separate them, but it is the enjoyment one gets out of watching the Argentine that sets him apart. Ronaldo is a robot, a phenomenal robot, but every skill he has is rehearsed and appears that way. When you watch Messi, you still get the feeling most of what he does is off the cuff. He is a reactionary player. It’s as if his brain can process the movement of the players in front of him quicker than anyone else, always nicking the ball away just as the defenders make lunge for it. He does things that no one else can do. At one stage in the first half, last night against Bayern Munich, Messi was in his own half, surrounded by Bayern shirts, yet he wriggled around all of them before playing an impossible pass around the corner and running on the receive the ball again. It was a wow moment, and he generally has 3 or 4 of these per match.
I think Suarez coming in to create space, coinciding with Messi reverting to his more familiar inside right position, has given us truly the best version of Messi. He can drop deep to receive the ball, is more involved in the build-up play, and somehow he is still matching Ronaldo on the stat sheet. Messi also seems to make everyone around him better, sure he has always had an outstanding midfield behind him, but they complement each other equally, Messi just happens to be the main attraction. I would probably get a few assists myself if I was passing the ball to Messi. I don’t get that feeling from Ronaldo. Benzema has never profited much from Ronaldo’s presence, and Gareth Bale certainly seems to be struggling to co-exist with the Portuguese. When you compare this to what Messi, Suarez and Neymar have achieved in one year together, the answer is obvious.
In my opinion he is the greatest ever, certainly the best I have ever seen. I did not have the privilege of seeing Maradona, Pele, or Best play, so I welcome more informed readers to disagree, but to win so much, to score and assist so much, and to entertain so much every single game is a ridiculous feat, and when it is all said and done, he will be the greatest of all time.
Source: DSG
