Messi vs Ronaldo – Who is La Liga and arguably the world’s best player?
Prior to this summer the Premiership could readily claim that it was home to the best player in the world as Cristiano Ronaldo’s unstoppable form continued and won him World Player gongs ahead of La Liga’s shining star Lionel Messi. Ronaldo’s move to Real Madrid meant that La Liga definitely was the base for the world’s best player although which of the two big names was better was undecided and is still debated constantly. The signing of Ronaldo, along with the arrival of Serie A’s star player Kaka, boosts the profile of La Liga even higher and gives the Spanish league the distinction of being the only league that can seriously compete with the Premiership in the claim to be the world’s best football league. Football is a team sport and the basis on how good a league is can not be formed just on the basis of a couple of players but Spain is proud of the quality of players found in it’s premier division and rightly so.
Forget about the wealth of other talent in Spain for the time being, this discussion isn’t on all the stars but simply a choice between two men – it’s between Ronaldo and Messi, as could be predicted. Forget Kaka, he’s now out of the equation – a regular for Real Madrid but having been shifted out of his favoured position to make way for other players, he’s clearly not regarded as the key man for his club, let alone for the division. Messi and Ronaldo are the cornerstones of their respective teams though. Real Madrid seem to play a lot worse without Ronaldo in their side and constantly moan about his presence while a lot of Barca’s best attacking play comes through Messi and his scintillating runs which give so many opposition defenders nightmares. In terms of which is more important to their squad, it’s clearly Ronaldo – Barca often rest Messi as their squad fires on all cylinders even without him whilst if Ronaldo was fit he would be playing every game. But being the key man for your team doesn’t make you the superior player as I’m sure Ronaldo is aware.
Messi and Ronaldo both have many similarities and differences in the way they play – they both like to run at players, then run past players, and then finally to blast a shot into the back of the net. Their methods of doing this are different though – Ronaldo, as is well known, is a show pony who won’t stop doing tricks to wind up players and skill his way through on his way to scoring. Messi is more direct, running straight towards players and simply skipping past them using his pace. Then there’s the difference in finishing – Ronaldo loves to blast his shots in whilst Messi’s are better placed and seem to roll along the ground more. Both are as effective as each other though and up to Ronaldo’s injury they were tied as the top goalscorers in the division although Ronaldo’s ankle problems have given Messi the chance to take advantage in that particular race.
You could accuse both players of being selfish; they both prefer to keep hold of the ball than to set up a team-mate which can sometimes prove a waste of possession (though not usually with players of this quality). Messi is more willing to lay the ball off to a waiting teammate which helps explain why he, Samuel Eto’o and Thierry Henry got over 100 goals between them as they linked well. Ronaldo’s recent record reads differently as most of Manchester United’s goals over the last few seasons were his, with Ronaldo having ensured that he was either in the best position to receive the ball for a shot, or having made the chance ofr himself. As a result Messi makes a better team player. Ronaldo meanwhile proves a bigger difference maker as, though both can come up with that magical spark, Ronaldo has every single trick possible up his sleeve whilst Messi’s lack of physical power lets him down at times. The World Player gongs would have you believe that Ronaldo is the best player in the world. It’s very tough to call. I would go ahead and say that Messi is actually the better of the two though – football’s a team sport and not just a game to boost the ego as Ronaldo seems to treat it. Ability-wise they appear inseparable but Messi has better footballing qualities aside from his ability to score. Mark Messi out of a game and he’ll still end up assisting a goal for a team-mate. Mark Ronaldo out of a game and he’ll end up sulking. Messi gets my vote, does he get yours?
I think Messi is a better player to watch. As to who i’d want in my team… the Barca genius just edges it.
At the moment comparing this two players is pointless. Career in La Liga looks totally different than Messi’s. Ronaldo is tring to recover for almost 2 months when Messi is in the game systematically. In my opinion neither Ronaldo nor Messi is best La Liga player. I’d suggest Xavi or Iniesta.
I meant: Ronaldos career…
Ronaldo is the best
Messi, all the way long, and NOT arguably.
“MESSY”
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii THE BEST
No doubt, Messi the best before and after el clasico
I Would go with Messi to, but It’s gonna be exciting to see the outcome in the FIFA World Cup.
mesi always
i think that messi betetr is butt c.ronaldo is very good..
messi is better
c.ronaldo is better then messi.
5 Reasons why Messi is better than Ronaldo
1) Messi is and has always been more of a team player than the Portuguese star. Ronaldo has received heat about his selfish play and while it is true that Diego Maradona called Messi a bit selfish a few months back, the Argentinian does not reach the ridiculous levels Ronaldo can sometimes achieve.
2) Age at this point in the two superstars’ careers is a very underrated factor. Messi is two years younger than Ronaldo. Usually this is not a considerable difference, but compare Ronaldo from two years ago to today, and you will definitely see a difference. Additionally, the maturity level of a 21-year-old player to a 23-year-old is significant. For proof of this look at Ronaldinho, who didn’t really reach his peak until he was about 25.
3) To most fans the integrity of the game is a big topic. Diving always takes away from the honesty and beauty of football, and unfortunately, Cristiano Ronaldo has perfected the art of diving as much as Olympic gold medalist Matthew Mitcham. Messi, on the other hand, is a warrior. His small frame seems easy to take down. However, it appears like he always runs between someone’s legs or stays on his knees to keep a play going instead of splashing onto what some dream to be a huge green swimming pool.
Another point for the Argentine.
4) Success with the national team is always key, especially when one speaks of Argentina or Portugal, and this is where Messi has the largest advantage. At only 21, the South American prodigy has won an U-20 World Cup, an Olympic gold medal, and has reached a Copa America final. Ronaldo, at 23, has been to one Euro final as the host, and that was four years ago, when Figo was still king in Portugal. It just always seems like Ronaldo ends up owing Portuguese fans a little more, while Messi, at his very young age, has given them plenty to gloat about.
5) Attitude is the single most important attribute in sports. Messi has it all. The way he takes punishment and keeps going and his never-say-die mentality are admirable. You will never see Lionel Messi on the ground unless really injured, or with his head down before the end of a game, or even jogging if there is any remote chance of getting to a ball that’s seemingly unreachable. Now take a look at Ronaldo. While his talent and potential are unreal, we see images too often of him crying, arguing, or just throwing tantrums that take away from his abilities and his team’s chemistry.
Diving and attitude go hand in hand, which is why it is normal to see Ronaldo on the floor for several minutes, and almost impossible to see Messi in the same situation.
All in all, I think Messi deserves to be put at a higher level than Ronaldo.
He’s just a better player.
Thank you Jason, enough said !! Messi is the better of the two !!
Although Messi has delicate control and such quick feet, when it comes to sheer speed Ronaldo comes first.The Portuguese winger has to be one of the fastest pure sprinters in the game, you can recall the Champions League semifinal at Manchester when a long ball was sent forward, Ronaldo outran Puyol and Zambrotta, considered as one of the faster ‘backs in the game, to a ball when both started from about 20 yards and Ronaldo a clear 40 to 50 yards away.Once again it is equal on size level but just ask Wayne Rooney, who isn’t a tall lad, and he will tell you generating power isn’t about size—it’s skill.When it comes to power it’s quite obvious again. Seeing as Ronaldo is a chiseled old fashion striker built, but has such precise and skillful shots that ridicule the human capacity.
Ronaldo is far much better from messi even messi is behind torres
Messi posses ball shortly while ronaldo dribbles the ball so accurate that the ball rests with him 4 long time mostly goals by ronaldo are magical and messi simple goals but messi left foot is better than ronaldo and messi cant hit the ball accurately 2 the target and he cant have special technique of passes while ronaldo has.