There is no doubt whatsoever that Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are the two greatest players of this generation. Thus, it is no surprise that fans argue continuously as to who the better player is. Both Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have provided some absolute moments of magic for football fans all over the world.
We at Sportskeeda have decided to have a debate and today we will start off by enlisting the reasons why Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is better than Lionel Messi. The article will be followed soon by my colleague’s reasoning as to why Lionel Messi is better than Cristiano Ronaldo. In the end, after both our views, you, our fans can decide who the winner of the debate is!
So here are the 5 reasons why I think Cristiano Ronaldo is better than Lionel Messi:
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo is a more complete player than Lionel Messi
Both Messi and Ronaldo are capable of spectacular things on the ball. Both of them are blessed with incredible agility and dribbling skills, but what sets Ronaldo apart and makes him the more complete player is his incredible heading ability.
Time and again, the Portuguese superstar has cropped up at important situations in important matches scoring amazing headers to tilt the balance in favour of his team. Lionel Messi’s main strengths are his close control, dribbling, and agility.
Also read: FIFA 17: Top 10 dribblers in the game revealed
While, Ronaldo can come close if not better Messi in all those areas, there is no denying that fact that Ronaldo is miles ahead in his athletic and physical abilities, thus making him the more complete player in comparison to the Argentine maestro.
#2 International success
Lionel Messi might have won every club trophy there is to win, but if there is one trophy lacking in his stellar CV, it is a trophy with Argentina. The Barcelona superstar has come heartbreakingly close with Argentina on multiple occasions, but he has yet to lay his hands on a trophy while playing with the Albiceleste.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s career also mirrored Messi’s career until this summer’s Euro 2016 where Portugal famously beat hosts France to secure a memorable victory. Although Ronaldo himself was injured in the final, he played a crucial role in guiding Portugal to the title clash and was an inspirational leader right through the tournament.
The greatest players are always capable of raising their game and even inspiring a mediocre team to success, and Ronaldo with the Euro 2016 triumph has firmly cemented his legacy as one of the game’s all-time greats.
Until Messi manages to win a trophy with the talented Argentina side, Ronaldo will always hold an edge over him in any debate.
#3 Ronaldo has proven himself in multiple leagues
The Premier League is quite easily the most competitive league in the world and there is no doubt that Ronaldo was the standout player in the game’s most competitive league during his spell at Manchester United.
Legendary Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson brilliantly explained why he would choose Ronaldo over Messi. In an earlier interview, Ferguson said:
"When the ball is at Messi's feet it is like he is wearing slippers,But there is a difference between Messi and Ronaldo and I'll tell you what it is. I think Messi is a Barcelona player but Ronaldo could be playing for Stockport County and he would score a hat-trick. He is brilliant in the air and he has two feet."
The La Liga is more often than not a two horse race and until Messi is able to prove himself on a “cold, wet night at Stoke”, Ronaldo will always hold the edge.
#4 Ronaldo is a more prolific goalscorer than Lionel Messi
The ultimate aim of football is to score goals and the ultimate goal scorer of this generation is Cristiano Ronaldo. The only player in the history of the sport to win the golden shoe 4 times, Ronaldo’s goalscoring exploits at Real Madrid have been absolutely mindboggling.
In 348 matches for Madrid, the Portuguese superstar has scored an unbelievable 364 goals having a goal to game ratio of 1.045! Messi on the other hand, with Barcelona, has scored 456 goals in 535 appearances having a goal to game ratio of 0.85.
Also read: Top 10 goalscorers of all time
Ronaldo is also the only person in the history of football to score 50+ goals in 6 different seasons. Both Messi and Ronaldo more often than not play in the position of a winger, and the stats clearly show that the Portuguese superstar has the edge over his Argentine counterpart.
Although Messi is one of the most prolific goalscorers in the history of football, there is no denying the fact that Ronaldo’s finishing and poaching skills are at a level higher than Lionel Messi’s.
#5 Cristiano Ronaldo is less injury prone
Cristiano Ronaldo might have suffered a slight injury in the final, but not even his most vocal detractors can deny the fact that he is physically one of the fittest athletes in the world right now.
Completely dedicated to his fitness regime, Ronaldo has managed to remain relatively injury free for the majority of his stellar career, while Messi’s left knee and hamstring have started giving him problems in the last few years.
There is no denying the fact that both Ronaldo and Messi are two of the most dedicated and determined professionals, but Ronaldo slightly edges out Messi in terms of physical fitness.
So SK fans, it is up to you now to decide who wins the debate: Ronaldo or Messi? Let us Know:
