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Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Mohamed Salah and Ronaldinho all stand a chance of winning a once-in-a-lifetime honor on 28th December. All four superstars have been included in the final shortlist for the Globe Soccer Player of the Century award.
Everyone knows that the race for this one-of-a-kind prize will most likely boil down to Ronaldo and Messi, two of the greatest players of all-time. The duo has shared the prestigious Ballon d'Or 11 times in the last 12 years so lifting this award will help the winner stand out from his rival.
Though some might make a case for Ronaldinho for the prize, in awards which allow for public voting, we can expect Ronaldo and Messi, the players with the most fans in the world to come out on top.
The duo was also recently feted by France Football, who included both in the Ballon d'Or all-time XI, alongside absolute legends like Pele, Maradona, Beckenbauer and Xavi. Though both of them missed out on The Best FIFA Men's Player Award to Robert Lewandowski, no one can challenge them for the Player of the Century honor.
Before we make our case for why Cristiano Ronaldo will win the Player of the Century Award ahead of Messi, let's take a quick look at what are Globe Soccer Awards.
What are the Globe Soccer Awards?
As per the website -
"The annual Globe Soccer Awards were established in 2010 with the aim of recognising not just the best players and coaches, but also the people who work behind the scenes who had not previously been acknowledged."
The Awards are organized by EFAA (European Association of Player's Agents) and the ECA (European Club Association). Since starting in 2010 with three main categories they now offer recognition in seven categories for players, agents, and clubs. An official Gala Dinner is held every year for the same in Dubai.
This year, a special edition award - Player of The Century (2001-2020) will also be bestowed upon the player who ends with the highest votes by the deadline.
Now that we have a fair idea of what the awards are, let's take a look at the 5 reasons why Cristiano Ronaldo will win the Player of the Century Award (2001-2020) ahead of Messi:
#5 Unparalleled success in the UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid
When it comes to the Champions League, Cristiano Ronaldo is the undisputed king. In the continental competition, he is currently: the all-time top scorer, the all-time top assist provider, the player with most goals in a single campaign, and five-time winner of the trophy.
Cristiano Ronaldo also has numerous other records in the competition to his name. He was the fulcrum of Real Madrid's unprecedented hat-trick of title wins between 2016 and 2018. In his four title-winning campaign with the Spanish giants, he scored 60 times, including three goals in the four finals.
The 35-year-old has 134 goals to his name in the competition currently and has provided a much-needed boost to the offense of every club he has played for in the competition.
He is now on the verge of breaking the all-time appearance record of former teammate Iker Casillas in the competition, which he'll be able to surpass if he can guide Juventus past the last 16.
Also Read: 5 most supported football clubs in the world
#4 Ronaldo has proven himself in three of Europe's top leagues
For any footballer, consistency and the ability to win trophies for his club is of paramount importance. Now, if someone like Ronaldo could do it with three different clubs, who have different styles of play, the achievement of staying on the top of the game becomes even more commendable.
Lionel Messi has done some unimaginable things in his time with Barcelona and deserves all the credit in the world. But, what Ronaldo did in 2018, to venture out in search of a new challenge at the age of 33 years when he was Real Madrid's undisputed Galactico, has helped enhance his image.
No matter the pedigree of a player, settling into a new team is never an easy task, but that's something that has come naturally to the Portuguese superstar and in his two seasons with I Bianconeri he has already become their most important player on the pitch.
#3 Ronaldo has racked up countless records for club and country
It is common knowledge that both Ronaldo and Messi have been breaking records left and right over the last few years. Their hard work and sheer hunger to be the best has driven them to heights no one before had fathomed.
It is beyond the scope of this article to list their records here, but we would like to mention a few of Ronaldo's unique records that make him stand out -
- First European player to reach 100 international goals
- The first player to score 50 goals in the Premier League, Liga and Serie A
- Only active player to reach 750 career goals, fourth overall.
- The first player to 400 wins in Europe this century.
- Top goalscorer and assist provider in the Champions League (130 & 41)
- The only player to score in three UEFA Champions League finals.
As evident from the list, he has been prolific in every competition he has taken part in, no matter whether it's for a club or his national side. By virtue of Messi's long connection with The Blaugrana he has almost all goalscoring records in the La Liga to his name but lags slightly behind his right-footed adversary in the Champions League and international stage.
Not to discount the other nominees' talents but the stats make it clear that Ronaldo has a highly diversified records tally than his rivals. His exploits on the pitch since the turn of the century will probably never be reproduced.
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#2 Better stats with his national team as compared to Messi
Ronaldo and Messi are now at the top of almost all goalscoring metrics in club football. They've shared the coveted European Golden Shoe since the turn of the century and just as they've been the stars for their clubs, they have also been indispensable for their national teams.
Both prolific forwards are the all-time leading top scorers for their respective national sides, as one would expect, but of the two it is Ronaldo who became only the second player ever to reach a century of goals for his nation last year.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner leads Messi 102-71 in international goals, having posted double-digit returns in a year four times in his career as compared to Messi, who could only achieve the feat once in 2012.
Interestingly, the player reached his peak with the Portugal last year, in which he was very lethal in front of the goal-scoring 14 goals. He has scored against a total of 41 different sides in international fixtures, including the likes of Argentina, Belgium, Croatia, Netherlands and Spain.
Also See: Top 10 quotes on Lionel Messi
#1 Ronaldo added a major trophy with Portugal to his cabinet, while Messi failed even after reaching three finals with Argentina
Ever since Ronaldo and Messi reached the pinnacle of world football, the absence of a trophy with their national team was the only things missing from the glittering careers.
Though a medal at the FIFA World Cup seems difficult now, as Ronaldo and Messi will be 37 and 35 respectively by the 2022 edition in Qatar, Ronaldo has won the next best thing in the European Championship with Portugal in 2016.
It was the first major title in the Iberian nation's history, and he followed up his EURO 2016 success at yet another UEFA competition in the Nations League, winning the maiden edition of the competition with A Seleção.
Messi had been unfortunate to have never lifted a trophy with his nation, given that he made it to three major international finals in consecutive years between 2014 and 2016.
We know the significance an international title holds for a player, so for Ronaldo to have finally added success in the international arena on top of the accolades with Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus makes for a strong case for the 35-year-old superstar to be considered the best of the century.
We think the lack of success with his nation will be one of the major reasons why Messi may not be voted as the player of the century on December 28th.
Also See: Top 10 quotes on Cristiano Ronaldo
