Great Debates:
Lionel Messi versus Cristiano Ronaldo

The Messi versus Ronaldo debate is one that is seemingly timeless, having gone on for as long as I can remember, and one that surely will go on far beyond the retirement of both players. It is a conflict between two undoubtedly generational talents, far above (in terms of numbers) any other players we have seen in the past ten years, a fact all the more impressive due to the age of the two superstars- Messi is now 32, while Ronaldo is 35. The debate is also fuelled by the fact that the players have become almost exact opposites, skill versus physique, teamwork or individuality, one-club man as opposed to glory hunter, facts that simply compel people to take sides.

Their brilliance is proven by the insane numbers that the two players have recorded across their careers, even in this most disrupted of seasons. Across his career, Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 725 goals, and provided 220 assists in 1,000 appearances. Lionel Messi, meanwhile, has 697 goals, and 289 assists in 718 matches. The goals and assists records of these players alone is outstanding; combined with the sheer number of appearances that the two have made, which most players get nowhere near in their careers, it is hard to dispute the pair’s otherworldliness, in that they have proved their brilliance on such a consistent basis, largely untroubled by serious injury.

And yet, to me, this should not be a debate. Messi is simply the best of all time. Just to watch him on a football pitch brings a smile to every football fan’s face, a unique player who creates excitement and inevitable ecstasy every time he touches the ball. The difference between the two, in my opinion (and I am inclined to agree with Marco Van Basten’s recent comments) is that ‘Cristiano Ronaldo is a great player, but those who claim that he is better than Messi don't understand anything about football’.

Yes, Ronaldo is an incredible physical specimen. Yes, he does tend to turn up in the ‘big games’, and has scored some vital goals across the years, perhaps even more so than Messi. However, does the physicality of a player, and what he does in one or two matches each season, determine how good he is? To me, Ronaldo has become the ultimate penalty-box poacher, and is probably the best goalscorer of all time, but beyond that, at least in the last five years, he has become extremely limited as a player. Watch most games that involve Juventus, or that show Ronaldo in his prime at Real Madrid, and you will watch on mystified, as open-play largely passes the great Portugese forward by. Ronaldo inevitably touches the ball a lot, but often does little with possession, perhaps laying the ball off to a teammate, or attempting to beat a defender off the dribble. 

Even when taking free-kicks, Ronaldo seems allergic to touching the ball outside the box: pounding the ball into the wall time and time again. With a free-kick success rate of 0% since joining Juventus, it is astounding that Ronaldo is still afforded the luxury of taking set-pieces. A cynic might suggest that Ronaldo’s continued insistence that he must take free-kicks is only further proof of his own arrogance, especially given the fact that Miralem Pjanic, a great free-kick taker in his own right, is at the club. 

Outside of the box, I am afraid to say, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe are better footballers. Granted, when he receives the ball inside the box, Ronaldo is almost guaranteed to score. Isn’t it the case, however, that that proves Ronaldo is reliant on the innovation of his teammates, rather than his own ability?

Juxtapose this with Messi’s all-round game, and the contrast between the two will become clear. When on the ball, anywhere on the pitch, Messi can pick out a supreme pass, whether driven along the ground or flighted in the air. His vision is simply extraordinary, and this is backed up by his insane natural ability, which means that every pass is executed to perfection. Should he choose, on a whim, to take the ball forward himself, the Argentine sensation can also dribble past any player in the world, and, when in the right position, finish beyond any keeper.

Messi is everything a player aspires to be, wrapped up into a single neatly tied package. A creator, a goal scorer, and a trickster, whichever he should choose to be at any one time, Messi is capable of turning any game on its head at the flick of the switch. The Barcelona stalwart has almost as many goals, and more assists, in over 100 less appearances, as Ronaldo, proving his superiority in almost every aspect of his game. 

To Messi, a free-kick is a penalty, such is the Argentine’s extra-terrestrial class.

Ronaldo is the best goalscorer of all time, and, with a spectre of reluctance, even I will admit that he is one of the best players of all time. To even compare Ronaldo to Messi is sheer folly, however.

Attempts to prove Ronaldo to be the greatest of all time as a result of his physical ability, to me, proves a very limited knowledge of what it takes to be a truly brilliant footballer, instead of simply being a sensational athlete. The only reason that Ronaldo’s obscene physicality and propensity to make an impression in the biggest matches is a matter of discussion is because Messi dazzles the world in every match. The Argentine’s brilliance has become so consistent that it is almost underappreciated. 

Don’t be distracted by Ronaldo’s stature: we should value the Argentine forward’s stand-alone, universal talent while we still can. Allow me to finish on the simplest conclusion: Lionel Messi is the greatest footballer of all time.

By Sam Matthews Boehmer, Eds. Luke James