'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. One could go on rambling to the world's end about how these two have frighteningly dominated the modern era of football today. The beautiful game will possibly never witness a rivalry this fierce in the years to come.
Both Messi and Ronaldo have been at each other's throats, incessantly trying to claim the throne of being the best player in world football by churning out world-class performances week in week out. They have exceeded limits to such an extent that their scintillating displays no more surprise people and seem ordinary at best.
While both the giants are greats in their own sense, they will always be pitted against each other given that people love a spicy debate as to which player surpasses the other. On that note, let's have a look at five reasons that project Messi as a shade more skilful than his fierce arch-nemesis.
#5 Lionel Messi is the better free-kick taker
When it all started a decade ago, Cristiano Ronaldo was known for his explosiveness as an attacker and was one of the world's deadliest free-kick takers. While he may still be as lethal as ever from the 12-yard spot, the Portuguese international is no more the master of dispatching the ball into the net from free-kicks.
Ronaldo has scored 54 goals from dead-balls throughout his career - four more than Messi at this stage of their careers. However, the Barcelona hitman's improvement at the art of scoring from set-pieces is what gives him the edge over his arch-rival.
At the end of season 2016/17, Ronaldo's total free-kick tally read 51 while Messi had 33 to his name. In the past two seasons, however, the Argentinian talisman has scored 15 times from free-kicks as opposed to the 2 dead-ball goals netted by his fiercest rival.
Ever since CR7 joined Juventus, he has managed to breach the wall 9 times while Messi has rattled the net 10 times. Pretty clear why La Pulga gets the nod here, isn't it?
Also check out:Champions league top scorers Champions League table Champions League Schedule
#4 Champions League performances and European Golden Shoe
Okay, now this could get a little ugly. Cristiano Ronaldo has five Champions League titles, Lionel Messi has four. Ronaldo has more goals in the Champions League and has won the competition's Golden Boot more number of times than Messi. Then, how is it that Messi appears deadlier than Ronaldo on this stage?
Before we start, it's safe to say that to draw up a comparison between two players, the duo must have equal number of chances to prove their worth, meaning both should have played an equal number of games. Since that is impossible, the average figures come in handy to settle the tie.
Ronaldo has 128 goals in 171 appearances while Messi boasts a tally of 113 in 138 games. The Portuguese ace scores 0.74 goals on an average in contrast to the Argentinan's 0.81 goals per game. Also, Messi has 6 European Golden Shoe awards as opposed to Ronaldo's 4.
#3 Better creativity and tactical flexibility
This is no rocket science and Lionel Messi is the outright winner in this area. To sum it all up, Messi is just as deadly on the ball as he is off it. When he isn't scoring goals, the Barca No.10 is busy creating chances and building up plays for his teammates.
Messi has 236 assists in 696 games as opposed to Ronaldo's tally of 191 in 816 goals. That's more of assists in fewer games for the Argentinian, adding up to an average Ronaldo can't even dream to beat.
Messi's innate vision also allows him to be tactically flexible; the 31-year-old is capable of operating as a playmaker, a right-winger or a striker and he would still chip in with about fifty goals per season.
That's pretty much in contrast to Ronaldo, who actually showed his short-comings during season 2017/18 under Zinedine Zidane's tutelage. The Portuguese ace had the toughest time of his career when he struggled to function as a No.9 and had the worst shots to goals ratio in Europe back then.
#2 Messi has a better goals-per-game ratio and trophy haul
We talked about how Lionel Messi eclipses Cristiano Ronaldo when it comes to scoring average in the Champions League. However, it's not only on the European stage where the Argentinian gets the better of his rival.
Ronaldo currently has 702 goals in 978 career games, averaging 0.71 goals per game. Messi, on the other hand, has 677 goals in 833 games with an average of 0.81 goals per game. This doesn't end here. Messi has amassed 609 goals in club level in contrast to Ronaldo's 607, in 119 fewer appearances. Undisputed king of the pastures, isn't he?
Coming to their individual trophies, Messi has 71 honours to his name as opposed to Ronaldo's 61. On a collective level, the Barcelona striker has racked up 30 trophies over the course of his career, while the Juventus forward has 26 to his name.
#1 Messi has a better xG value than Ronaldo
Now, for all those who don't know what Expected Goals(xG) and Expected Assists(xA) values are, have a look here. To explain in short, Opta's performance metrics are a way of quantifying quality.
Every shot that a player takes on goal is assigned a specific value. The said value is nothing but the probability of the shot being converted into a goal. The same goes for the xA metric. Each pass is assigned a value that tells the probability of the particular pass being converted into an assist.
The xG and xA metrics came into existence in the 2014/15 season and since then, Messi has notched an xG value of 148.70 in 181 games. However, he has scored 181 goals in reality, meaning he exceeds his xG value by 32.30 points. In short, he has scored 32 goals more than the total amount that was expected of him.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, has notched an xG value of 156.47 in 167 games played. He has actually scored 160 goals, exceeding his xG value by just 3.53 points.
