5 things Cristiano Ronaldo does better than Lionel Messi

How can they be so good? Looking at the style with which they eclipsed the past decade, hardly anyone can pride oneself in conquering their respective eras, as well as these two have done. Meaning no irreverence towards the likes of Cruyff, Pele, Maradona, and many others, but Ronaldo and Messi are clearly a cut above the rest.

The duo have never failed to mesmerize football fans all over the globe. For ten long years, Messi and Ronaldo have been at each others' heels in the race to be appreciated as the greatest ever to grace the game.

Both of them have proven to be worthy competitors, thanks to their impressive set of skills. However, it's not just one who has been the better at everything. Both of them have owned spheres where they outclass their counterpart.

Let's have a look at 5 such areas where Cristiano Ronaldo emerges as the better choice amongst the two:

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#5 Earnings and social media fan-following

Ronaldo is the world's most valuable athlete

It is no secret that Cristiano Ronaldo has gigantic sums of cash rolling in his bank accounts. The Real Madrid star has held the top position as the highest earning soccer-player on the Forbes list since for a fourth consecutive year in 2017.

To top it all, Ronaldo has also been the world's most valuable athlete in 2016 and 2017, with a whopping $181 million turnover including his salary and various endorsements.

Lionel Messi occupies the third position on the list of the highest-earning athletes and is second behind Ronaldo in the highest-paid soccer players.

Comparing their net worths in 2017, Ronaldo has earned $93 million from salary and endorsements while Messi has bagged $80 million. To top it all, the Portuguese skipper also has a larger number of sponsorship and endorsement deals, compared to his fellow Argentinan.

Cristiano Ronaldo also enjoys a mammoth fan-following around the globe. He holds the Guinness world record for being the most followed sportsman on the three major social media websites (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter).

With around 299.4 million supporters on the internet, he easily trumps Messi's 72 million fan-following. A large part, perhaps, is down to the fact that Messi is not active on Twitter.

#4 Personal glory and record-breaking

Ronaldo boasts better individual records in contrast to Messi

No doubt, Lionel Messi has a better tally of silverware on the collective stage. But, in the race for individual achievements, the Argentinian falls a mile behind Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Portuguese giant's endless desire for success has seen him grab a huge collection of individual accolades. Both Messi and Ronaldo have a mammoth 287 singular awards between them. The Real Madrid star accounts for the better number, having won 157 of the total tally.

Of course, Messi is a five-time Ballon d'Or winner, but stay tuned. Cristiano Ronaldo has almost caught up with him and is on course to equal him this year. Call him selfish if you might, but that is exactly the virtue that has made Cristiano Ronaldo immortal in the beautiful game's enchanting history.

Another point deserves a worthy mention. Over the years, Ronaldo has proven his supremacy at breaking records, with 140 under his belt. Messi, on the other hand, has accumulated just 109 until now. Isn't that awe-inspiring enough?

#3 Performance in the UEFA Champions League

Ronaldo performs better in the Champions League as compared to Messi

When it comes to performing in the club football's greatest competition, Ronaldo easily outclasses Messi by a mile, albeit both have won 4 Champions League titles to date. Whenever Real Madrid and Manchester United have progressed into the knock out stages, Ronaldo has been an influential figure for both the clubs.

Starting from quarter-finals, Ronaldo has played a total 42 games in his overall Champions League career and netted 37 times, in contrast to the Barcelona hitman's 16-goal haul in 34 appearances.

Ronaldo averages an incredible 0.88 goals per game while Messi sums up to just 0.47. Ronaldo's stats in the semi-finals are even more astounding, having scored 13 goals in 19 semis as compared to Messi's minimal 4 in 13. His hattricks in the semi-finals have given him a great edge over his arch-rival.

Coming to the finals, Ronaldo has scored 4 goals in 5 finals, with a 0.80 average. Messi, on the other hand, has an average of 0.66, having scored 2 goals in 3 finals.

As a cherry on the cake, Ronaldo also has better goal-tally in the UCL history with 111 goals compared to Messi's 97. He has also won more top-scorer awards (7) compared to the Argentinian (5). So, if asked to chose one of the two, who would you prefer to have in your Champions League squad?

#2 International performances

Ronaldo has a better international record than Messi

This one will probably remain the biggest difference between them. No wonder both of them have won a great amount of silverware. However, it is the international glories that must also be counted if you want to be known as the greatest of all time.

Since Portugal lifted the Euro 2016 trophy, the Ronaldo supporters have become haughtier than ever when it comes to examining the two titans in contrast to each other.

Well, they aren't wrong after all, are they?

In spite of the star-studded team Messi has at his disposal, the Barca no.10 has failed to clinch silverware for his country. Losing in four finals with his country saw Leo Messi receive plenty of criticism and he was deemed as a failure on the international level.

He might have an Olympic gold medal to show off, but that still doesn't count as a major laurel when compared to the Euros.

Ronaldo, on the other hand, has been a consistent performer equally for both club and country. Having played only one major international competition final, the Portuguese has outclassed his Argentine in the race for the best player of this generation.

Let's also have a look at their goal-scoring rates. Leo Messi has notched 61 goals in 122 appearances at a rate of 0.5 goals per game. Ronaldo, on the other hand, has 79 in 147 matches under his belt. With a scoring rate of 0.53 goals per game.

So, while it might not be an extremely significant difference, it's clear about which of the two has the upper hand on the international stage.

#1 Goal-scoring exploits

Ronaldo outclasses Messi on many goal-scoring fronts

A reason why Ronaldo can be deemed as the greatest of all time is his all-around abilities. It's not only his gigantic count of goals worth appreciating, but also the different manners in which he has scored them.

First, let's have a look at their overall amount of goals, where Ronaldo trumps his rival with the better amount.

Ronaldo - 616 career goals

Messi - 584 career goals

Penalties: When it comes to striking the ball from 12 yards, hardly anyone matches the ferocity of Cristiano Ronaldo. In comparison to the Barca no.10, the Real Madrid talisman has scored 104 out of 126 penalties he has attempted to date.

That measures up to a conversion rate of 82.53%. The Argentinian has netted 80 out of 102 attempts from the spot, with a conversion rate of 78.43%.

Free-kicks: Many of you would argue over this point, considering Ronaldo's diminishing threat from set-pieces in the recent years.

However, he outclasses his arch-rival in the total amount of free-kicks scored. Ronaldo has 51 under his belt, while Messi counts up to 34 free-kick goals. Clearly, Messi has a long way to go to provide Ronaldo with good competition in set-pieces.

Headers: Hands down, the Barca forward just doesn't compare to the mighty forward in this area. Ronaldo's supreme physique easily eclipses the diminutive Argentinian at this stage. His aerial ability has seen him bag a total of 107 headed goals throughout his career. Messi is no way near Cristiano, with a tame 24 headers to his credit.

Weak-foot ability: Since his emergence as one of the sport's greatest players, Ronaldo has earned wide recognition for his aptness with both feet. The right-footed forward has scored 111 goals from his weaker foot, which accounts for 18.02% of his total goal tally in his career.

Left-footed Lionel Messi has netted 78 times with his right, which sums up to 13.36% of his overall goal count.