5 reasons why Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are still dominating the footballing world

3. Adaptability.

Messi excelled under Luis Enrique's tenure as well

Since both Messi and Ronaldo have been there at their respective clubs for more than 8 years, they had to play under managers with varying playing styles. But even that hasn't hindered their progress as a player and these two continued to grow in stature as the time went by.

After playing under arguably one of the greatest managers of all time, Sir Alex Fergusen, Ronaldo played under managers such as Jose Mourinho, who is kind of a defensive minded manager, to under Carlo Ancelotti, who gives more tactical freedom to his players. Ronaldo managed to breach the 50 goal barrier with both managers at the helm of affairs.

Messi, on the other hand, excelled under various managers as well, with the treble winning Campaigns under Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique being the highlight of his career. While Pep is renowned for his possession-based playing approach, Enrique followed a counterattacking system of football.

While, on the other hand, we have players like Paul Pogba, who, although possessing great potential, is failing to make a mark in Jose Mourinho's Manchester United. Although the manager is at fault too for not managing the player well, great players should be able to adapt to situations and function as per the team's demands.