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When Cristiano Ronaldo left Real Madrid for Juventus, some had hoped that the rivalry would die down and that the comparisons would stop. But that is not happening any time soon.
Let's look at 5 reasons why the debate is continuing for the 2018-19 season as well:
#1 Lionel Messi was not even in the nominees for the FIFA Best Player award
Lionel Messi scored 34 league goals and assisted 12 goals in the LaLiga last season and took home the Pichichi, while also leading Barcelona to a domestic league and cup double. Ronaldo scored 26 goals and had 5 assists in the league, but was instrumental in Real Madrid winning the Champions League for the third season in a row.
The debate will continue to rage on, but the Champions League is the most prestigious club competition in Europe and delivering success there means delivering at the highest level. But, an argument can be made with respect to both Luka Modric and Mohamed Salah. Modric was the best player at the World Cup, but was not consistent throughout the season with Zidane not even starting him against PSG and Juventus. Salah, was the highest goalscorer in the Premier League, but Liverpool finished 3rd in the league and were runners-up in the Champions League. Egypt failed to progress past the group stage and you could clearly see why some people believe that Messi should have been there amongst the nominees.
#2 The domestic league versus the Champions League debate
As already mentioned in the first point, this is a topic which has sparked fierce conversations amongst coaches, players and fans alike. While for some coaches such as Zidane, winning the domestic league is the most important as it signifies consistency over a longer period of time. Some players and clubs have prioritized the Champions League in favour of the Premier League, as seen in the past with Chelsea and Real Madrid as well in recent years. Winning the Champions League is seen as the ultimate glory for some and to achieve that they are even willing to give less importance to the domestic league.
As seen in the past two or three years, Real Madrid have consistently kept Ronaldo only for the big LaLiga matches and save him for the Champions League clashes. As a result, their league performance has suffered winning only once out of those three years. Leo Messi, might not have won the Champions League this year as Barcelona had a bad day when it mattered the most, but it does not take away from the fact that he was the most consistent player week in and out.
#3 Ronaldo's goal drought with Juventus while Messi's sublime form
Juventus had bought Ronaldo from Real Madrid with the sole purpose of concentrating on the Champions League and bring home the ultimate glory for the Old Lady of Turin. The fans of Serie A had hoped that Ronaldo would set the domestic league on fire as well and continue his scoring record in Italy as well. The doubters created an unnecessary hype on this as well completely ignorant of the fact that the Serie A is a tough league where the teams who are average and bottom-placed are very well organized defensively and will go out and give their all against a team like Juventus. Ronaldo, with all the pedigree that he brings in terms of goals scored over the years, needed some time to adjust in the Serie A.
Ronaldo did score this week against a strong Sassuolo side to prove the doubters wrong. Messi, on the other hand, has had 4 goals and 2 assists already in the LaLiga and has started this season on a strong note. This will continue to be a source of debate throughout this season as it progresses.
#4 Lionel Messi has played only in the La Liga whereas Ronaldo has proven himself in Portugal, England, Spain and will do so in Italy
There are many supporters of Ronaldo who have argued that Ronaldo unlike Messi has played in one of the best leagues in the world, besides LaLiga and has proven in tough conditions that he is the best. Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or with Manchester United before he even joined Real Madrid. Ronaldo will no doubt continue to score goals for Juventus and bring more trophies with his goal-scoring prowess.
But let us not understate the fact that Barcelona is already one of the biggest clubs in football still and there is no reason for Messi to leave Barcelona. Messi has been consistently performing at the top for Barcelona not only in LaLiga but also in the Champions League. Before Ernesto Valverde, he was the main man responsible for the goals during the Pep Guardiola era winning 3 Champions league titles and also under Luis Enrique as well winning the Champions League in 2014-15. This debate will no doubt continue in the coming years as well.
#5 Lionel Messi scored a hattrick for Barcelona, while Ronaldo is sent off for the first time in the Champions League
This is the most recent and the biggest one out of all of them- the performance of Messi and Ronaldo on MatchDay1 of the UEFA Champions League 2018-19 season. Barcelona started their campaign with a very solid performance against Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven at the Camp Nou. Messi scored from a free kick to give Barcelona the lead and ended it perfectly with 2 goals from combination play giving Barca a comfortable 4-0 victory.
Ronaldo had an entirely different story on the other hand. Juventus had hoped that Ronaldo would continue his goalscoring form as he had with Madrid over the past few years, but things did not pan out exactly as they had planned at the Mestalla. Valencia, are an opposition against whom Ronaldo had flourished and with a flurry of shots early on, both Ronaldo and Juventus came close. But a controversial red card decision in the 29th minute saw the referee give Ronaldo his marching orders. Ronaldo had been booked for allegedly bringing Murillo down when it simply was a case of Murillo making the most of the situation.
This controversy early on has ensured that the comparison between the two have started already with Messi apparently being the hero for helping Barca win while Ronaldo receiving a red card and perhaps even more match bans post the disciplinary hearings.
