The debate between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will last forever. These are two players that were in a league of their own during their prime years and were a cut above the rest.
In terms of Ballon d'Or awards, Lionel Messi has surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo, winning seven to the latter's five. However, Ronaldo has secured his reputation as the best goalscorer in the sport's history, and he continues to provide beautiful moments for his teams on a regular basis.
It's pointless to try to find out who is the better player of the two at this moment. Both athletes have distinct attributes that set them apart in a variety of ways.
On this point, here are three things Cristiano Ronaldo does better than Lionel Messi, as well as two things he doesn't.
Three things Cristiano Ronaldo does better than Lionel Messi
1. Headers
Let's start with the most obvious. Cristiano Ronaldo could no longer wreak havoc down the flanks as he could in his prime once he began to lose a yard of pace. He made the decision to adapt and evolve into a more goal-scoring player, and he fulfilled his strategy flawlessly.
Ronaldo's heading skill, which is crucial for a number nine, is one of his key motivators in this regard. The Manchester United striker possesses one of the strongest leaps in the game, and the sheer height he climbs to meet the ball in the air has amazed us.
Messi has only scored 24 goals with his head in his club career. Ronaldo has a total of 105 goals.
2. Coming up clutch for his teams
The number of times Cristiano Ronaldo has seized a game by the scruff of the neck and won it for his team on his own is amazing. His record in the UEFA Champions League illustrates his ability to come through in crunch situations and create magical moments for his sides.
Take, for example, some of his performances this season. In the Champions League group stages, Ronaldo had several pivotal performances and scored several match-winning goals for Manchester United. In the Premier League this season, he has also scored seven game-winning goals.
Ronaldo has also scored two hat-tricks in the Premier League this season, both in 3-2 victories for United. In both of those games, his final goal was the game-winner for the Red Devils.
3. Penalties
In his career, Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 143 penalties. He has only missed 29 games. Lionel Messi, on the other hand, has made 102 conversions from the spot but has missed 30. The penalty conversion rate of the Portuguese legend is 83 percent, while the Argentine's is 77 percent.
While Messi has proven to be dependable from the spot, Ronaldo has just outperformed him.
Two things Cristiano Ronaldo cannot do better than Lionel Messi
1. Playmaking
Lionel Messi attended Barcelona's renowned 'La Masia' academy. Catalan footballers are known for producing some of the best players of the contemporary age. Messi is a more well-rounded footballer than Ronaldo, as his playmaking abilities are nearly equal to his goalscoring abilities.
Messi has 315 assists in 805 appearances across all competitions in his club career. In 929 appearances across all competitions, Ronaldo has provided 231 assists. Ronaldo has always been a goal scorer, whereas Messi has excelled in both areas.
The same may be seen in their statistics from this season. Messi has nine goals and 13 assists in 29 games for Paris Saint-Germain in all competitions so far this season. So far this season, Ronaldo has scored 22 goals and supplied just three assists in 36 appearances for the Red Devils in all competitions.
2. Free-kicks
This is an intriguing issue because Cristiano Ronaldo had developed into one of the top free-kick takers in the world during his first spell at Manchester United. Even during his early days at Real Madrid, he pioneered the 'knuckleball' method and was a decent free-kick scorer.
Ronaldo's free-kick abilities, though, have deteriorated since then. Lionel Messi, on the other hand, added free kicks to his repertoire much later in his career. Since then, he has established himself as one of the top free-kick takers in the world. He has amazing technique and is really dependable.
Ronaldo scored 21 direct free kicks between 2009 and 2011, whereas Messi only had three. Messi, on the other hand, scored 23 direct free-kicks between 2017 and 2019, whereas Ronaldo only scored five.
Despite the fact that Ronaldo does it now and again, like he did against Norwich City on March 16, he is unlikely to improve his game as much as Messi has at this point in his career.
blogpay
Total Comments: 0