Winning one international trophy, through immense luck, and where you didn't even play in the final, does not count for much in the debate about greatest players of all time.
Messi v Ronaldo | Contains double your daily salt allowance
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I genuinely don't understand anyone who thinks Ronaldo is the better player. I can only think some people 'want' want him to be. He's just clearly not as good at football as Messi.
They score equally well, but Messi contributes so much more. If Ronaldo happens to receive the ball in midfield he's useless with it. If there's a box full of defenders and he has the ball on the edge of it then he's not going to dribble through 4 of them and score leaving your draw on the flaw. He's just not as good at football.
They score equally well, but Messi contributes so much more. If Ronaldo happens to receive the ball in midfield he's useless with it. If there's a box full of defenders and he has the ball on the edge of it then he's not going to dribble through 4 of them and score leaving your draw on the flaw. He's just not as good at football.
In which he didn't even play in the final and Portugal was seen as one of the most undeserving teams for that trophy.
You win the Euro however you can take it, but they didn't even need him to beat France in the final.
Ronaldo also had the greatest midfield in the world these past 2-3 seasons, Modric was immense, and Kroos was also superb.
Ramos is one of the greatest attacking defenders of all time. Bale is no slouch either when healthy. Ronaldo has had a much deeper roster than Messi in recent years, a much much more balanced squad.
He played 30 mins of the final so technically you're wrong but he was one of their best performers throughout the tournament behind Pepe and helped them through the knockout stages.
Also, initial point was why people say Ronaldo has won more. I answered but now it's the fashion in which he won it? This is what I really don't understand about the staunch Messi fans. Saying Messi is the better player is all fine but to go so out of your way to discredit Ronaldo just makes no sense to me. Even the international trophy in which he played a huge part is being questioned by the Messi brigade.
Why can't you accept Ronaldo's greatness while believing Messi is better?
Ronaldo has better strength. Better heading. Better shot. Better long shots. Better goal scoring. Better leadership and mentality (huge factor imo that has helped him win trophies). Messi is a better dribbler, a better passer and a better playmaker. This is all in MY opinion and why I think Ronaldo is better. I rate goalscoring as the biggest factor in who is "better at football". Hope you understand how some people think Ronaldo is better.
Well their goal scoring rates are almost identical. Strength, heading, shot, all are irrelevant in the discussion, they are physical attributes which help Ronaldo achieve some of the things he does, they are not in and of themselves an argument for his footballing ability. Dribbling, playmaking and passing are all results of footballing ability. If both players only scored a third of the goals they did, then Messi would be still be an incredible player, Ronaldo far less so.
Yes, when his all round game was a couple of levels above what it is now.
Ronaldo is a phenomenal player, one of the greatest of all time. I may be hard on him but I’ve also given his due quite often.
His CL run last year was one of the greatest runs in club football history, Madrid had a very tough run of teams and he slayed them all.
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According to whoscored they both have 37 goals this season, but Messi has twice the assists.
You lost a hilarious tag line because of your obsession
This one's better actually, not sure why I got the honour ahead of so many other posters here though.
Jorge mendes
You’re obviously impressing the moderation team.
If Ronnie gets UCL #3 in a row, this is over for me. Don't care how good Messi looks dribbling.
Nail on the head right there. It's laughable how they try to minimize Ronnie's achievements to make Messi look better.
As things stand now, if Ronnie wins three UCLs on the trot he has my vote between these two. Doesn't hurt that I can't stand Barcelona either. No team deploys the high press on officials quite like that lot. It's almost as if it is in their DNA.
Nail on the head right there. It's laughable how they try to minimize Ronnie's achievements to make Messi look better.
As things stand now, if Ronnie wins three UCLs on the trot he has my vote between these two. Doesn't hurt that I can't stand Barcelona either. No team deploys the high press on officials quite like that lot. It's almost as if it is in their DNA.
Or you could say, Scholes, Evra, Rooney, Rio etc. Why pick the best players from one team and the worst from the other?
There are some mind boggling post of disillusionment in here. That goes for both camps, btw.
In retrospect though, that 2006 Barcelona lineup could have looked like this
Victor Valdes
Zambrotta
Thuram
Puyol
Van Bronckhorst
Xavi
Iniesta
Deco
Messi
Ronaldinho
Eto’o
I’m just going to appreciate both players for how good they are. Always score and always fit.
It’s probably been said in the best but I think we may struggle for a number of years to have any player close to how good they both are. I don’t think we realise how lucky we are that they have played at the same time, and one being part of the history of this club. God they were some good years 2006-2009, can we roll back to that period?
It’s probably been said in the best but I think we may struggle for a number of years to have any player close to how good they both are. I don’t think we realise how lucky we are that they have played at the same time, and one being part of the history of this club. God they were some good years 2006-2009, can we roll back to that period?
I don’t expect to see anything like them again in my lifetime. If we do, then it won’t even be up for debate that they become the best ever.
The two best players I have ever seen. Both great players, both had and still having great careers, both will go down rightly as genuine legends. It was great that one of them played for United and has provided some of my most exhilarating United moments.
Messi between 2010 and 2015 was by far and away the greatest player I have ever seen.
Messi between 2010 and 2015 was by far and away the greatest player I have ever seen.
This is a point; what is the likelihood that two all time greats are able to play 50+ games a season, year in year out? Every player is an athlete these days so in the future, if there is a potential all-time great coming through they are probably going to have to be an exceptional athlete, which both Ronaldo and Messi were when they broke through and still are to a lesser extent now.
Any future player that wishes to surpass them, will have to be an explosive athlete i suspect so what are the chances that they stay injury free? We've seen amazing athletes like Ronaldo9 and Bale have their bodies destroyed by their own athleticism; Messi had a lot of muscle problems when he first broke through but pep told him to stop pressing so he could rest his hamstrings. There may be a player that comes through and has a peak like Messi or Ronaldo but to keep it up for a decade without major injury problems seems unlikely. The bar has been set so high.
Ronaldo is the more complete goal scorer IMO. He gets 35-40 yards of goal and he’s dangerous. He can score with power, precision, headers, free kicks, you name it. Messi is amazing but he’s dangerous in our just outside the box. Ronaldo has also done it in the Premier League, which is something I’m critical of Messi.
All this arguments are laughable and mental reading them. In Nigeria, Ronaldo is the most loved and most popular player.
The only Nigerian who did take Messi over Ronaldo are Barcelona fans. Overwhelmingly, most Nigerians would take Ronaldo over messi, and if it is up to them, Ronaldo will be winning balon'dor every year. He is a cult hero here.
When the Portuguese won the Euro, the streets of Nigeria went mental with celebrations. you did think we just won the Afcon. Don't even tell an average Nigerian Messi is better, they are going to take it seriously with you.
So funny when you think that Real Madrid (and MU) is the most hated club in the country.
You did hear people saying they want Madrid to lose but Ronaldo to score.
The only Nigerian who did take Messi over Ronaldo are Barcelona fans. Overwhelmingly, most Nigerians would take Ronaldo over messi, and if it is up to them, Ronaldo will be winning balon'dor every year. He is a cult hero here.
When the Portuguese won the Euro, the streets of Nigeria went mental with celebrations. you did think we just won the Afcon. Don't even tell an average Nigerian Messi is better, they are going to take it seriously with you.
So funny when you think that Real Madrid (and MU) is the most hated club in the country.
You did hear people saying they want Madrid to lose but Ronaldo to score.
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Fair enough as on face value.
Seriously? You've seen him tear up Rio and Vidic. You think he has a problem against the current jokers in the premier league?
He made Azpi the best CB in the league for long time look like a small kid.
That opinion should never ever be recognized in any debate about a players greatness. Absurd and illogical considering Messi's performances in the CL against English sides.
Just to make a point, that's all.
Discounting Messi and Ronaldo themselves, Messi has always played in better overall teams in my opinion, excluding perhaps the past couple of years.
They are facts - obviously I cherry picked players deliberately, to make a point.
Call it fanboyish logic all you want - another fact is Ronaldo has as many Ballon D'Ors as Messi, while in my opinion having played for inferior teams (excluding the two men themselves) for the majority of the time their careers have coincided.
Yeah, you have a point there. Past couple of seasons I would agree, but over the length of their careers, Messi has had overall far superior teammates to work with.
Thing is, if you would switch them around, Messi would still have played in superior teams, since he's the ingredient that makes his teams superior.
Do you like apples?
I'm just finding out that the likes of Casillas, allegedly world class defender Ramos, Marcelo, Pepe, Kroos, Modric, Ozil, Benzema, Casemiro, Bale... Are vastly inferior to thr footballers Messi played with.
I do not agree with that at all. I made it very clear that it's my opinion excluding the two men themselves.
Why aren't Argentina the best team in the world then? Because Messi can only do so much. Portugal aren't, because Ronaldo can only do so much.
I am intelligent enough to separate the two - and yeah, in my opinion, Ronaldo with Xavi/Iniesta feeding him, or with a Neymar or Suarez in partnership, would absolutely destroy everyone, including a Real with Messi.
Let's put it this way, and yes this is my opinion etc, I think if Ronaldo and Messi switch places Barcelona will get worse and Real will get Better. The only thing Ronaldo is arguably better at is scoring goals. And even that is an insignificant difference at best. At all other aspects of the game (dribbling / passing / vision / playmaking) Messi is much better. This is not even my opinion, there is no way a sane person can debate this.
Ronaldo winning the Euro's with an utterly shite Portugal team becoming the worst Euro winners since Greece by defeating (with him) a vastly superior France in the final doesn't change that.
Why am I once again arguing in this silly thread
I second this humble opinion.
Can't we just say Messi is Federer or Cristiano is Nadal and close the damn thread?
Always laughable to find Dutch fans from Feyenoord talking about shit, when was the last time we lost to the mighty Dutch?
Talk about delusion
Always laughable to find Dutch fans from Feyenoord talking about shit, when was the last time we lost to the mighty Dutch?
Talk about delusion
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