Ending the GOAT debate: 5 reasons why Lionel Messi will always remain far better than Cristiano Ronaldo

#3 Messi is the heart of his team; Better team player

It goes without saying that Lionel Messi is a better team player, due to the fact that he is not just a goal scorer. Cristiano Ronaldo's goalscoring numbers are truly staggering and he is the star of his team but his need to feed him the ball makes him a footballer with more individualistic traits and narrows down his role based on a more singular ability.

Over the last few years, Ronaldo's role has been reserved as a free forward or a poacher. Messi is more versatile and can play the role of a feeder and poacher both. As a player, the Argentine is more versatile and he has already a huge number of assists to his name despite the sensational goalscoring numbers.

Messi's link up helps his teammates to open up, orchestrates the gameplay and never disrupts the harmony of the team. On the other hand, for Ronaldo to score, the strikers need to make space for him and sacrifice their own gameplay.

Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema remain the prime examples of how much adjustment Ronaldo needs to fit into his role.

Lionel Messi's ability to run the team separates him from the rest. The Argentine drops deep in times of need to carry the ball and create chances and also, pops up with the goals when required. Clearly, Ronaldo needs his teammates more while the case is almost opposite in the case of the Argentine, despite football being a team game.