Is Ronaldo better than Messi?

The current era of soccer is dominated by two giants: Juventus, Real Madrid and Man UTD legend Cristiano Ronaldo and Paris Saint-German’s  Lionel Messi. The two star have scooped almost every individual award over the past 15 years, and despite their advanced ages (36 and 33, as of 2021), they show no signs of slowing down. 

Cristiano Ronaldo is more Advance Player

Nowadays, soccer is more dynamic and athletic than ever. The game has become faster, stronger and more demanding in most aspects of physicality. While Messi might have more talent, Ronaldo’s combination of physical and technical abilities just makes him better. He is 6’’1 of pure Portuguese muscle. This means he is very hard to push off the ball. Ronaldo’s combination of very fast, great dribbling and powerful shooting with either foot terrorizes defenses.

He is simply a better fit for today’s game. His athleticism is second to none, he combines fast movement with powerful shooting and a jumping ability of an NBA star, which makes his headers a serious threat to the opposition. And he is doing it at the same level even in his mid-30s. Ronaldo, more than Messi, is the ideal model of the next generation of players.

Is Ronaldo a better team player than Messi?

Messi is not only an incredible scorer and gifted playmaker, he also makes everyone around him a better player. A true leader, he brings his team together. Not only does he have more assists and key passes than Ronaldo, he is always using his phenomenal vision to keep his teammates involved. He has great tactical intelligence, finding free spaces to move into, receiving the ball and then laying it off to a team-mate, to build attacks.

While Ronaldo is a more of an executor, who plays high up the pitch and scores great goals when given the chance, Messi, who can do that just as well, is also comfortable dropping deep and keeping possession of the ball with his team. From these positions, he can send his colleagues on dangerous runs with pin-point passes. This versatility makes him that much better than Ronaldo.

Ronaldo Driving force

Messi has an advantage over Ronaldo. Messi has won more titles mostly because he plays for a better team, not because he is a better player than Ronaldo. Throughout his entire career, Messi played for arguably the best side to ever play the game. Unlike Ronaldo’s team experiences, Messi’s Barcelona teammates know each other blindly, since most of them have played together since they were 10 years old, always the same style and formation. The move to PSG will be a testing ground for Messi’s effect on a team.

This is not to say that Ronaldo’s teammates were bad. They were great, but just not as great as Messi’s during the majority of his career. Messi has the added value of an unforgettable team, Ronaldo is the driving factor of his. Messi is like Tim Duncan of the Spurs, while Ronaldo is like LeBron James in Lakers.

Ronaldo International Career

Ronaldo’s international career puts him on a higher level than Messi. In fact, Messi has never won an international trophy. He lost finals in both the Copa America (the South America championship) and the World Cup. Meanwhile, Ronaldo led his Portugal side to win the 2016 European Championship.

Even if Messi ever leads Argentina to win the Copa America, Ronaldo’s international achievements will be considered greater. Unlike other sports, international trophies in soccer are the ultimate glory. His three World Cup trophies fixed Pele’s stature as the best player ever, and Diego Maradona winning it for Argentina puts him before Messi. Only a victory at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar could change that.