Puskas vs. Di Stefano, Pele vs. Maradona, Messi vs. Ronaldo. For decades, football has spawned many passionate debates worldwide, and will no doubt continue to divide opinions for decades to come!
What is the greatest debate in contemporary football? The answer is unanimous! Messi or Ronaldo, their greatness! And the way these two have dominated the last two decades, they are the undisputed rulers in the present football fraternity.
Let’s go through the figures that Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have achieved for the clubs in which they have played. Messi has spent his entire career at FC Barcelona, where he arrived when he was 13 years old and where he climbed from the lower categories to gain a place in the first team, while Cristiano Ronaldo began his professional career at the Sporting Club of Portugal, to be later signed by Manchester United. In 2009 he became part of Real Madrid where he played 9 seasons and finally was transferred to Juventus of Turin. Leo Messi has given 58 assists more than Cristiano Ronaldo in all his club career, making a total of 877 goals generated in 718 games (1.22 goals generated by the game). Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo has generated 818 goals in 836 games, for a total of 0.98 goals generated by the game in all his club career.
If we consider their international stats, then Messi has scored 70 goals with 42 assists from 138 appearances, on the other hand, Ronaldo has scored 99 goals with 28 assists from 164 appearances. So the ultimate analysis clearly reveals the fact that they have been the dominant and impact force from the sides they represented! And these two are far beyond their contemporaries.
Now, let’s compare these two legends over the latest version of Fifa, ie. Fifa 20. If we compare their base cards like, Messi 94 with Ronaldo 93, Messi comes with total stats of 472 as compared to Ronaldo’s 467. Whereas Messi has in-game stats of 2297 which is again a bit more than Ronaldo’s 2265. So Messi seems to be the answer for purists who, regardless of the numbers, delight in the Barcelona star’s more aesthetic style that focuses on close-quarter dribbling and impudent finishing and Ronaldo is the embodiment of hard work and his mastery of the physical side of the game has seen him produce world-beating goal tallies deep into his thirties!
So let this party go on! Let these comparisons stay forever! Let them adorn the turf for ages! And let them rule our hearts till the end!
