David versus Goliath, Nike versus Adidas whatever you wish to compare it to the debate of Cristiano Ronaldo vs Messi has been a topic of hot debate for more than a decade now in the footballing world however after Ronaldo's move from La Liga to Serie A this debate may be forever over.
Lionel Messi was born on the 24th of June 1987 in Rosario, Argentina and ever since his first touch with a football he has been admired by anyone who knows the beautiful game. At thirteen years of age Messi signed a lifetime contract with Barcelona in return for Barcelona to fix a heart problem he had. Twenty-two years on and he has never looked back. with 651 career goals, the Argentine is commended by many for this incredible milestone. When he first played professionally with Barcelona he played in a CAM role which did not suit him as he consistently slipped into the RW position. After trialing him in the RW Barcelona quickly realised that this is where the child prodigy deserved to play. He loves to dribble down the right keeping the ball close to him and outpacing his opponents before cutting in and either crossing or shooting with his strong left foot. Despite his height defenders are bamboozled by his ability to flick the ball from foot to foot before they have any time to react. A true god to the beautiful game however at 31 he is nearing the end of his prime and soon someone will have to replace him. Hopefully, Barcelona has their eyes on someone who can live up to the number ten shirt which has been held onto by this legend for so long. Dembele is rapidly looking to replace Leo, however, has a lot of work to do still to replicate that same level of skill and dedication Lionel Messi has.
Nine years with Real Madrid and the number seven has called time on his trophy-laden years with Real Madrid. The Portuguese superstar was born on the 5th of February 1985 in Madeira, Portugal. Cristiano played for Sporting Lisbon in their youth academy until he was signed by Manchester United under Alex Ferguson when he was just sixteen years old. After nine years of mixed feelings at Manchester United, he signed for Real Madrid at the age of twenty-five. At Real Madrid, he completely dominated winning numerous awards such as five Ballon D'ors and numerous UEFA Champions League titles. With a career total of 660 goals, Ronaldo awes all that watch him play. Against the best goalkeeper in the world, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick to keep Portugal level with Spain and some say he is finished. Regardless of his age Roanldo is still the incredible player that he was ten years ago regardless of how his play has changed. This is still evident as he has recently just signed for Juventus on a five year deal to for a fee of over 120 million EURO's. Some of his actions are more subtle and not so easily seen to the untrained eye. Ronaldo has a special advantage over Lionel Messi being that fact that he is extremely hardworking. Obviously at such an elite level no-one has got to such a stage without putting their life on the line so to speak however Ronaldo has pushed himself beyond belief. As fit as a professional twenty-year-old soccer player and he pushed himself so hard he does not have a strong or a weak foot. This gives him the advantage of either cutting in and shooting or crossing or tricking the defender, cutting left and crossing with his left foot. Ronaldo is particularly known for his signature stepovers, however, has a full arsenal of skills to use to bamboozle defenders and for his penalty taking which he has been dubbed the nickname Penaldo. Ronaldo is the sort of player that even though he now plays for Juventus when you are playing as Real Madrid in FIFA 18 you change it so Real Madrid have him.
Ronaldo and Messi are the greats in football to date however with players such as Mbappe, Dembele and Asensio on the rise to become the next greats sooner or later football will say goodbye to these absolute legends. With Ronaldo playing in Serie A and Messi in La Liga it is impossible to compare them both currently and previously they have both been on par. FIFA 19 rating got it spot on by both giving them ratings of 94/100 so they both are the greatest football players to ever walk this earth and hopefully they keep playing for the next few years to come.
Credits to SEN31 for the Youtube videos.
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Angus Mclaughlin
