Lionel Messi v Cristiano Ronaldo: Who is having a better season?

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have ruled the footballing world for a decade now. These two are probably the most followed footballers ever. No one can argue with the fact that we are witnessing two all-time greats in the same generation playing day in and day out to grab the rights of being called the best.

Who is better among them has been a topic for debate among the fans for quite a long time now and frankly speaking, it is very hard to decide given the stature of both players.

Here we look at how both these players have performed in the 2018-19 season and the expectations that the fans have from them.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Juventus is leading the Serie A with an unbeaten run

After spending nine seasons at Real Madrid winning four UEFA Champions League titles, two LaLiga titles, two Copa del Rey titles, three Club World Cups and becoming the top scorer of Real Madrid in the process, Cristiano Ronaldo decided to put an end to his association with Los Blancos to move to Italian champions Juventus during this summer.

This move shocked his fans worldwide. It came as a surprise as to why he would leave a team that won UCL three consecutive times to move to a new league and team at an age where most players are heading towards easier leagues to end their careers on a high.

But this is a thing with great players, they strive for challenges. Juventus were already ruling their domestic league but their aspiration to win the UCL and the need for a new challenge lured Ronaldo to Turin.

He did not have a dream start to his career with the Old Lady and took 320 minutes to net in his first goal for the club. But he has got into his stride as the season has progressed. He has made 30 appearances for the Turin-based club this season netting in 19 goals and providing nine assists.

His most noticeable goal came against his former club Manchester United. He also provided a hattrick of assists against Napoli. He is currently running third in the race for the European Golden Boot behind Kylian Mbappe and Messi. The surprising part is that Ronaldo, who is labelled as the most lethal player in Champions League history has only one goal in his tally this season.

Even though he has taken the time to blend with the playing style of Juventus, his numbers are really good for a player who has joined the club this season itself. The numbers are certainly a bit off according to his own standards but we all have seen what Ronaldo can do in the business end of the season.

He is thought of as the final missing piece of the puzzle that can make Juventus European champions.

Lionel Messi

After a disappointing FIFA World Cup campaign with Argentina, Messi wasted no time in making a statement to the people questioning his quality as a leader and a player. He has been the most influential player in the Barcelona side for quite some time now and every time he steps on the pitch, he shows why some people consider him the greatest of all time.

Messi has continued his magical form this season as well netting 29 goals in 27 matches for the Blaugrana side. He is leading in the race for the golden boot and has netted six goals in the UCL as well.

The little magician has also provided 17 assists this season. He has been involved in the highest number goals in Europe this season. This shows how important he is proving to be for Barcelona.

Things are going really well for the Argentine as his team in on the top of LaLiga table with a comfortable margin over the second-placed Atletico Madrid.

Conclusion

Messi surely has an upper hand for the time being. But we are only midway into the season and there is a lot of time left for the positions to change. We are all aware of Ronaldo's ability to suddenly spring into unbelievable form in the latter part of the season. The contest is again brewing and it will be interesting to see which of these superhumans comes out on top at the end of the season.