5 reasons why Messi will outshine Ronaldo in the upcoming El Clasico

And the most hyped club football game is unto us as Spanish giants Real Madrid lock horns with Catalan giants Barcelona on the 23rd of this month for the first league Clasico of the season.

This wasn’t expected. No, the date of the clash was already settled, so it is not that — it is the La Liga standings of the two teams. If someone didn’t know better and just started following football during the summer transfer window of 2017, they would have thought that Madrid would win the league by the time the first league Clasico took place.

Instead, here we are, with Barcelona leading La Liga with a seemingly insurmountable lead of 8 points. Madrid might have just won the Club World Cup, but it seems as though things haven’t worked out too well otherwise for the Blancos.

Madrid-Barca clashes also bring about another aspect of the game: the Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo rivalry. Since these two will go to head-to-head that day, here are 5 reasons why the Argentine will be the one that will outshine the Portuguese sensation:

---

#5 Great form

Leo Messi has been in scintillating form this season

As mentioned earlier, despite not having a really balanced team, the Catalans are the ones leading La Liga. The reason? Lionel Freaking Messi.

The Argentine has been a sole warrior in many of their endeavours, winning many games for his team and helping them avoid embarrassment on many occasions. With 18 goals and 5 assists from 23 games in all competitions this season, the Argentine has carried the Blaugrana thus far.

There were matches where it seemed like the Catalans were lopsided and not the cohesive team that they once were. But, even in those games, it was Messi’s brilliance that got them the win.

Furthermore, if one looks deeper, they will realise the extent of Messi's great form. He has made 4.9 dribbles-per-game and 2.1 key-passes-per-game. Basically, if his teammates don't do well, he is still going to ensure that Barcelona win.

#4 Age catching up with Cristiano Ronaldo

Juafran outpaced Cristiano in their latest clash

Let’s be frank here. The Portugal captain might say that he would like to play till his 40s and that he is the greatest player of all time, but the truth is that age is catching up with him. Already in his 30s, the Portuguese will become 33 in February and has already started to show signs of slowing.

Against Atletico Madrid last month, the former Manchester United star was outrun by Juanfran — who is not known for his pace — an incident that surprised many. His predatory instincts have also deteriorated over the last few months and the stats back up this claim.

The former Sporting starlet needs 6.9 shots to score a goal, which is a far cry from his last season's 5.6. While this doesn’t really reveal much, what does expose something is the number of goals that he has scored in the league this season.

With 4 goals from 11 games, he has made his worst scoring start for the Galacticos. However, one has to go beyond the realm of stats to understand what I am trying to imply here. Whenever I watch Cristiano Ronaldo now, he seems somewhat off—and that could be his age slowing him down.

#3 Momentum lies with Barcelona and Lionel Messi

Barcelona are still unbeaten this season

This is quite undeniable and seemingly absurd as well. In the transfer window of the summer, Barcelona lost their ideal successor to Lionel Messi - Neymar, to Paris-Saint Germain. While the Catalans might have signed Ousmane Dembele to replace the Brazilian, he has been injured for most of his time at the Camp Nou and still hasn’t made a comeback.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid might have had to sell Alvaro Morata and let James Rodriguez go to Bayern Munich on loan, but they still had a really strong team and further added to it with the signing of the highly talented Dani Ceballos, Marcos Llorente, Theo Hernandez and the retention of Jesus Vallejo.

Their attack might have become weakened, but their team is still the stronger one on paper.

And yet, Barca are the one without a defeat in the league and are leading the points table by 6 points. Since the momentum is with Barca, it is only fair to think that Messi will have a better game because he is in a team that is more in-form.

#2 Lionel Messi is bound to be fired up

Will Ronaldo's 5th Ballon d'Or spur Messi on?

The Argentine might claim that the Ballon d’Or isn’t much of a big deal, but the truth is that every player likes to be acknowledged for their individual brilliance—and winning the Ballon d’Or gives just that. The limelight might be something they dislike, but it is also something they can’t live without.

Right now, Cristiano Ronaldo is the Ballon d’Or holder after beating Messi to the trophy for the second year in a row. The Argentine is a wounded lion now—and that is very dangerous. Apart from that, the former Newell’s kid blew up the 4-1 lead that he held over the Portuguese, and now that things are tied at 5-5, it is nothing but a hit to his ego.

This is why the Argentine will be more than fired up to prove that he is better—and that would act as an added incentive for him to perform better.

#1 Messi is a different beast in Clasicos

Messi plays at his best against Madrid

El Clasicos make up ground zero for Lionel Messi. The Argentine goes into a different mood while playing in the most hyped game on the planet. It is, for this reason, that he has the most number of goals in the contest, with 24 from 34 games.

The Argentine suffered a drought in the fixture that lasted 7 games before he scored the decisive goal at the Bernabeu in the second league Clasico of last season. Ultimately, it was a futile goal as Madrid went on to win the league by the end of the season.

However, what it did was that the Barcelona number 10 once again found his scoring touch—and that is never a good thing for Madrid. Indeed, former Real Madrid star, Luis Figo, claimed that, "For me, to watch Messi play is a pleasure – it’s like having an orgasm – it’s an incredible pleasure.”

With such a good record in Clasicos, it is only natural to expect him to have a better game than his Portuguese contemporary.