5 reasons why Lionel Messi is better than Cristiano Ronaldo

FIFA World Player of the Year Gala
FIFA World Player of the Year Gala

There have been numerous articles and opinion-pieces on Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, over the years. They attained greatness within a span of 10 years which is just phenomenal.

Both of them have millions of fans who can go to war for them. Such is their following that their fans buy tickets to get a glimpse of their favourite star. Some think Messi is ahead of his counterpart, while others do not hesitate to call Ronaldo the best ever. This is a never-ending debate.

I have discussed the five reasons why Messi is better than Ronaldo.


#5. Technical ability

FC Barcelona v Real Madrid CF - La Liga
FC Barcelona v Real Madrid CF - La Liga

They call Ronaldo a ‘Machine.’ He is full of pace and energy with an incredible appetite for goals. He can play with either foot and score from the sharpest of angles.

Messi is an ‘artist,’ who has taken football to another level. Much like Diego Maradona, his left foot is always glued to the ball. He works as a magician and devises new tricks depending on the situation.

Messi can maneuver easily due to his short strides. His ability to dribble past three or four defenders makes him a legend. Messi is also known for his passing skills and has assisted numerous times to help score a goal for his team.


#4. Goal scoring

Messi celebrates his goal against Bosnia and Herzegovina - 2014 FIFA World Cup
Messi celebrates his goal against Bosnia and Herzegovina - 2014 FIFA World Cup

The only thing that matters at the end of the game is ‘Who won the game?’ This is determined by a player’s ability to score goals for their teams. Both of them are prolific scorers and have broken numerous records.

Messi has scored 629 goals as compared to Ronaldo’s 663. But he has played 150 fewer matches as compared to the Juventus star. This means that he scores goals at a faster pace than Ronaldo. The Barca star scored 91 goals in a single calendar year, which is a phenomenal record.

#3. Messi is more of a team player than Ronaldo

FC Barcelona v Real Madrid CF - La Liga
FC Barcelona v Real Madrid CF - La Liga

Both of them know that football is a team sport hence they make use of their teammates as judiciously as possible. Ronaldo has produced 214 assists while Messi is at 248. More than the numbers, it is the optics that remains in the memory of the football fans. They consider Messi to be a better team player than Ronaldo.

Ronaldo likes to control the ball and run towards the nets on his own. Messi, on the other hand, does that and also passes the ball to his teammates, as per the need of the game.


#2. The ‘greatest of all time’ debate

FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala 2015
FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala 2015

Before they arrived, the football world debated about Pele and Diego Maradona. No other player attained the kind of status which these two great players commanded in the world of the football. They were the benchmarks against whom, all the other players were measured.

Ronaldo and Messi changed the course of this discussion, and they figure in the ‘greatest of all time debate.’ Both of them have won the Ballon d'Or a record five times each.

Messi is a complete player who has the skill, pace, tactical ability, and team-spirit. Ronaldo is more like a machine, but several coaches, critics, former players, and commentators put Messi ahead of Ronaldo regarding that debate.

Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho said, "For me, the top three players in history are Messi, Pele, and Maradona,"

Pele told SporTV, “I would still stay with Messi. Scoring is important, no doubt, but if you do not have anyone to prepare, then the ball is not enough. For my team I prefer Messi. As for Cristiano Ronaldo, he's a great goal scorer.”

Steven Gerrard said, "I think they're both operating on a different planet to every footballer that's ever lived, probably beside your Peles and your Maradonas. But Messi for me is more of a team player. If he's in on goal, he'll look for a pass, as well as obviously posting really, really good numbers individually as well.”


#1. Messi is more disciplined

FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala 2015
FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala 2015

Messi is way ahead of Ronaldo in terms of discipline and on-field conduct. The Argentine has just received one card in his entire career, in a friendly match, which is nothing as compared to Ronaldo’s 11 red cards. Ronaldo is slightly aggressive in his style of play while Messi is more articulate.

Messi has collected 67 yellow cards in his career with Barcelona, while Ronaldo saw 101 yellow cards with Sporting, Manchester United, and Real Madrid.

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Edited by Victor R. Lopez M.