Well that’s embarrassing, a former manager, a former teammate and a guy who actually said this
“Messi is number one, just don’t tell Cristiano”
Messi v Ronaldo | Contains double your daily salt allowance
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Well that’s embarrassing, a former manager, a former teammate and a guy who actually said this
“Messi is number one, just don’t tell Cristiano”
When did Rio say Ronaldo was better?
Former/Current Football stars can say a lot of stupidities in one way or another.
I recall even some former teammates (Rooney, Scholes I think?) prefering Messi. Any examples of Messi's teammates taking Ronaldo?
Not to my knowledge. You’ll struggle to find someone who never played with Ronaldo saying he was better.
And when shamans talks about Totti, that was in relation to a ballon d’or That he won, not overall. He’s on record as saying Ronaldo is better.
There are just way too many former players and coaches with no connection to either player and from what I can tell almost all of them have chosen Messi.
Yes but who’s opinion should matter more, yours or theirs?
Of course, it is always interesting to know what close people or football stars think.
However, it won't be so hard for me to explain why my independent and enlightened opinions should matter more here!
I don't think that will be all that influential in the longer term perception of him. Seedorf has enjoyed similar success in different leagues and clubs, but nobody elevates him into a category where he's considered as the best of his time, even now a generation later.
The best way to describe it would be to say that if Messi is John Coltrane then Ronaldo is the saxamaphone effect on a Casio keyboard.
yeah but its the stuff that goes along with ronaldo's accolades. And not once was seedorf considered the best player of any of the teams he played on and as far as i know, was never in contention for any kind of individual award.
This shows how complete Messi is. I respect Ronaldo and everything he has achieved. I got to understand some of his ways I didn't like before. He's surely one of the best players to ever play the game.
But for me Messi is a genius who was born for this sport. Both players are talented and dedicated as hell, but Messi in my eyes is like an anomaly that understands every single part of the offensive game of football.
My sentiments exactly. I have to say that I respect Ronaldo’s game more than before, he is a freak and a phenomenal professional. A mighty asset for any team.
It’s just that I can never see him being better than Leo, no way. I just don’t see how it’s possible for anyone to be better than Leo. We can make analogies all day, but I would always go back to something a player said (Pique maybe): Ronaldo is the best of the humans, Messi is not human.
Maybe that’s actually the best way to honour Ronaldo’s dedication and all-around achievements: acknowledge he’s the best among the players he can compete with, and that’s everyone except the Number One.
It's a farce that this poll is 50/50. Shows how people's opinion can be easily swayed. I saw both Messi and Ronaldo live in Russia at the World Cup and I've also seen Ronaldo when he was younger; live in England when he was still playing for us, and there's no way Ronaldo skill-set is anywhere to Messi, 12 years ago or now. Messi's touch, control of the ball, passing, dribbling, free-kick, shooting, basically anything to do with football is simply out of this world. It's an extraordinary privilege and joy just to see Messi kick a football. Every dollar of my ticket is simply worth it just to see Messi. That was the only genuine consolation (and probably banging the Russian girls) I can take away from my experience in Russia, despite the shitshow by Die Mannschaft.
The difference in person is quite staggering. I've been fortunate enough to see them against each other a couple of times, and in those games it was clear as day who the better player was.
One of the thing ronaldo seems to get credit for in this thread is his movement and positional sense, but to be honest its not near the level of some the elites, and i'd be interested if the people who go on about it in here have seen him play live? His off the ball movement pales in comparison to another former united player Javier Hernandez, whose movement is probably the best i've seen after Henrik Larsson (who is the benchmark).
Both these players have an instinct for being int the right place at the right time, thats why they have an almost 50/50 split in the >1000 goals scored between them.
I played with both in many video games in the last years and i'm always better controling Ronaldo.
Plenty of documentaries I've seen him say without a doubt hes the best.
@Arbitrium point is there is no absolute best and we all have opinions. Based on what you value in the game more you'll have your own best player.
This is what a lot of messi fans just cant comprehend. Some think Ronaldo Brazil was the best. Some thing Cristiano. Some say Maradona and it goes on.
I just have a suspicious the staunch "Messi or bust" supporter does not value anything other than pure ability with ball at your feet.
If you think Messi is the best you're not wrong. If I think Cristiano is the best I'm not wrong. This is football we all see it from different perspectives. If you're just gonna try and place an undisputed leader well you're gonna be frustrated (or at least not have that leader bottle 1000 chances to win an international trophy
)Plenty of documentaries I've seen him say without a doubt hes the best.
@Arbitrium point is there is no absolute best and we all have opinions. Based on what you value in the game more you'll have your own best player.
This is what a lot of messi fans just cant comprehend. Some think Ronaldo Brazil was the best. Some thing Cristiano. Some say Maradona and it goes on.
I just have a suspicious the staunch "Messi or bust" supporter does not value anything other than pure ability with ball at your feet.
If you think Messi is the best you're not wrong. If I think Cristiano is the best I'm not wrong. This is football we all see it from different perspectives. If you're just gonna try and place an undisputed leader well you're gonna be frustrated (or at least not have that leader bottle 1000 chances to win an international trophy
Of course opinions are everything. There are very few sports in the world where there is an undisputed greatest of all time, heck people even say roger federer isn't the greatest tennis player of all time which to be is more baffling than any Messi or Ronaldo opinion.
Whatever about Messi v Ronaldo, the claim that Ronaldo is the greatest ever...fails the gut instinct test.
How the heck is this poll even tied 
Messi is the greatest talent to have graced the football pitch in history
Messi is the greatest talent to have graced the football pitch in history
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To be honest I wasnt alive for Maradona and pele so I cant say they were the goat ever.
Some people don’t and I just don’t get it
Living in America I think a lot rate Sampras very high.
Messi has failed to deliver in a lot of big moments for the GOAT.
So have all (hard to tell with pele) other candidates, but Messi's is most recent.
So has pretty much every player.
Their careers are not over yet. But you can't deny Ronaldo made huge strides in the past years. 4 CL's in 5 years and Euro '16 helps.
No one has ever delivered in every single moment.
Messi's failings lately are more recent, so you think he's always failed.
He has.
He may end up having the better career and being a 'greater' player. That's a different topic altogether though.
The fact that he tied Messi in Ballon D'Or awards after trailing 4-1 is probably the greatest sporting achievement I've ever seen.
Not feeling the power of Florentino Perez?
Yeah, Perez deserves lifetime achievement award for awarding his players with Ballon d'Ors whenever we have half tight situation.
I'm slightly confused about people saying Messi is a bottler in the big moments...doesn't he have just 1 CL less than Ronaldo, while still being 2 years younger? With quite a few league titles too?
And hasn't he scored in finals, semi finals etc? So where is this bottling exactly?
And hasn't he scored in finals, semi finals etc? So where is this bottling exactly?
Exactly. Never a guy with a controller will compensate for Messi's intelligence and quick wits. The game may make the ball glue to his foot, but you'll never be as smart as him anticipating opponents actions and moving around them.
Players whose top qualities are stuff like vision, understanding and intelligence are always underwhelming when you play them in videogames.
In CR's fans mind.
Some people don’t and I just don’t get it
His head to head against Nadal and Djokovic is very poor but I do think Fed is the greatest of all time though I feel Djokovic has a chance of being that.
Some people don’t and I just don’t get it
He got most of his slams against scrubs whilst Djokovic will possibly overtake his number whilst competing against 2 other GOATS and has also got the better of Nadal on clay before unlike federer.
Well then you can't say Ronaldo is the 'goat ever' either.
Ronaldo is indeed one of the greatest players in the history of the game, and the only thing that people who repeatedly downplay this status succeed in doing is make themselves look silly. It's quite another thing however to say that he's the greatest ever.
We're talking about thee world sport here. If Ronaldo is its greatest ever exponent then I'd be left distinctly underwhelmed in comparison to other such examples from other sports. It just doesn't pass that gut instinct test.
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I dont know about his wits but my intelligence is superior for sure.
I'm sorry, how is this supposed to show Ronaldo's achievement? Anyone on this forum could have won a league title as a player for that United side and this current Juve side, that's how dominant they were/are domestically.
I know that, my argument is the people next century arguing about the best players ever will look at Ronaldo and extrapolate from the fact he won in different leagues
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