8 things that would have been different if Messi and Ronaldo never existed

What if Messi and Ronaldo did not exist? In the football world a huge section of the fans are admirers of Lionel Messi and another huge section are admirers of Cristiano Ronaldo. Then there are people who just admire them both.Messi and Ronaldo have set the pitch alive with their mesmerizing performances over the years. But what if there existed a parallel universe where everything was the same except the existence of Messi and Ronaldo?Here are eight things that would be different if these two players did not exist.

#1 Fernando Torres would have won a Ballon dOr

Torres finished third in the 2008 Ballon d’Or

Back in 2008, when Cristiano Ronaldo won his first Ballon d’Or, he beat Lionel Messi for the prestigious honour. But what very few people remember is that Fernando Torres was the second runner-up for the award.

The Spaniard had a terrific first season at Liverpool, during which he scored 33 goals in just 46 appearances. Torres was at his peak at the Anfield club before his then-record move to Chelsea.

If Torres had won the Ballon d’Or in 2008 and then showed his slump in form like the one he had at Chelsea, then that would have been an even bigger story for football fans to talk about. ‘From Ballon d’Or winner to open goal miss’ would make a good title for that story.

Others who may have won include Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Franck Ribery, Manuel Neuer and Neymar.

#2 Chelsea could have had two Champions League titles

Ronaldo scores for Man Utd in the final of the 2008 Champions League

Chelsea played their first Champions League final in 2008 when they took on rivals Manchester United in Moscow. The Blues were on song in Russia and were denied several times due to the brilliance of Edwin van der Sar.

It was Manchester United who took the lead in the game through a typical Ronaldo header. The Portuguese rose high in the air and connected with the ball to power it past Petr Cech in goal.

Chelsea leveled through Lampard, but Ronaldo’s early goal meant that the score remained 1-1 till the end of extra time and it was United who won the game on penalties.

What if Ronaldo was not there to score that stunning goal? Maybe Chelsea would have had two Champions League titles by now.

#3 Gerd Mullers record would still be intact

In 1972, Gerd Muller set the record of the most goals in a calendar year by scoring 85 goals for his club Bayern Munich and national team Germany combined. Muller broke the record of Ferenc Deak who scored 66 goals in 1946, bettering the record by a good 19 goals.

Up until 2011, the closest anyone had come to the record was Cristiano Ronaldo with 60 goals. But in 2012, Lionel Messi broke the record by scoring 91 goals in the calendar year. Ronaldo has scored 66, 69 and 61 goals in the last three years, but no other player other than these two have come close to Muller’s 85.

So it is safe to assume that the record would have remained intact for many more years if these two did not exist.

#4 Zlatan Ibrahimovic may have become a star at Barcelona

Ibrahimovic was overshadowed by Lionel Messi at Barcelona

Zlatan Ibrahimovic never fails! The Swede was a success everywhere he went and won several titles during his well-traveled career – except at Barcelona where he failed on an individual level.

In 2009, Ibrahimovic moved to defending European champions Barcelona from Internazionale for a player-plus-cash transfer. The eventual transfer fee was in the region of €69.5 million (after accounting for Samuel Eto’o’s transfer fee).

Barcelona was managed by Pep Guardiola at that time and the Catalan manager had eliminated the traditional no.9 forward from his side and introduced Lionel Messi in the ‘False Nine’ role. This was a problem for players like Ibrahimovic and Thierry Henry, as both were out-and-out strikers.

Despite his poor relationship with Guardiola, Ibrahimovic scored 16 goals in 29 games for the Catalan club.

However, he did not want to play second fiddle to Messi and, in the end, went out on loan to AC Milan after just one season at Barcelona. If it wasn’t for Messi, then maybe we would have seen Ibrahimovic achieve much more at Barcelona and perhaps even win that elusive Champions League – the only major club trophy he is yet to win.

#5 Wayne Rooney may have had the iconic status that belongs to Ronaldo

Wayne Rooney is currently the Manchester United captain

Wayne Rooney joined Manchester United a year after Cristiano Ronaldo but the current England and Manchester United captain didn’t get the same sort of recognition the Portuguese star received during their time together in England.

Ronaldo was the clear fan favourite at Old Trafford due to his flamboyant style on and off the pitch. Rooney, on the other hand, was just like any other regular Scouser. Although he always had a good name amongst the Manchester United faithful, it was only after the departure of Ronaldo that he started to get the recognition and accolades that the Portuguese was bestowed with long back.

Rooney’s enthusiasm and high energetic game have come to the fore in recent years, and he is now one of the most loved players of the United family – especially after he broke the club record for most goals. If it wasn’t for Ronaldo, though, Rooney could have easily become a cult hero earlier than expected.

#6 Ballon dor would not have been a competition between two players

Messi and Ronaldo have only themselves to compete with for the Ballon d’Or at present

Ever since 2008, the Ballon d’Or award has been shared between these two players. Ronaldo won the award in 2008 and then Messi won the award four consecutive times till 2012. The title has since gone back and forth between the two legends.

Nowadays, the Ballon d’Or is a competition between these two and the award is usually awarded to the player with more goals in the calendar year than trophies won. Even though Ribery had won the treble, he still finished third in 2013.

Even other players such as Iniesta and Sneijder, who led their club or country through impressive campaigns, have been overlooked for the award in favour of Messi and Ronaldo. And the trend is sure to continue unless these two cease to exist.

#7 Bale vs Neymar would have been the Ronaldo vs Messi debate

Bale vs Neymar could be a battle in the future

During the summer of 2013, when Barcelona purchased Neymar and Real Madrid countered that with the purchase of Gareth Bale, it was said that Neymar versus Bale would be the new individual battle to watch out for. But more often than not, the individual comparison between the two has been rendered insignificant due to the presence of Messi and Ronaldo.

Neymar and Bale are considerably younger than the respective stars of their team and if there were no Ronaldo or Messi, then the individual battle we would be talking about would have been ‘Bale vs Neymar’.

Maybe in a few years, if and when age starts to catch up to the two stars, then we might still see the individual battle between the Brazilian and the Welshman take centre stage in La Liga and Europe.

#8 Football wouldnt be the same

Watching football wouldn’t be the same without these two players

At the end of the day, when all is said and done, football wouldn’t be the same without these two.

Messi and Ronaldo have given us plenty of brilliant moments to relish for a lifetime. Putting all rivalry aside, I am sure that deep down even the fans of these players will agree that the other is an equally good player.

We are a very lucky generation. We are very lucky because we have been given the privilege of watching two legendary players like Messi and Ronaldo play during our lifetime. Arguments over who is better are almost always futile.