Ronaldo - 38 goals in 38 league games.
Messi - 41 goals in 42 games.
Unbelievable stats.
Hard to separate them. Both have struggled somewhat at international level but I’d have Ronaldo marginally ahead
Barca seem to be increasingly dependent on Messi for goals, which is worrying. In fairness to Ronaldo, he’s a new man this season, the influence of Murinho and the importance he places on the team as opposed to individuals seems to be doing him good.
I’d have Messi ahead though.
How has Ronaldo been a new man this season… He scored pretty much a goal a game in all competitions last year…
His attitude and general demeanour…
Ronaldo for me.
I don’t know there Bill they’re world class players but they’re not great players.
Messi works that little bit harder which gives him my vote. Both sensational players and can win games on their own.
Any stats on assists at hand?
You left out a fe ‘eh’s’ there though flano!
In La Liga so far, Messi has 7 games, 7 goals (from 33 shots), 2 assists. Ronaldo has 9 games, 12 goals (from 75 shots) and 4 assists.
Ronaldo is a tremendous player. He has it all as an attacker, can play either wing, can play up top by himself, can play centrally. He makes goals and scores goals. He can score off either foot, deadly at set pieces and is excellent in the air. I wouldnt be too bothered about his non tracking back - when you score 30+ goals every season then you can get away with that.
But…
I would hold Messi in higher esteem. For the simple reason that he is techincally better than Ronaldo in my view. Better close control, selects the best option all the time and can do all the things Ronaldo can.
But undoudtedly the two best players in the world.
Messi can’t head the ball like Ronaldo and naturally isn’t as much of a threat in the air. Ronaldo is quicker too
Messi certainly doesn’t select the best option all the time. He spent both games against Inter last season and most of the World Cup ignoring the obvious pass, dribbling into tackles and getting dispossessed. I thought he was the best ever last winter but I was very hasty in that assessment.
I take the point that he may not be as much of a threat in the air, but I think he is certainly capbale of heading the ball as good as Ronaldo, as his peach in the Champions League final two years ago showed.
Not sure whether Ronaldo being quicker is something which puts him ahead of Messi (Mark Gonzalez was lightning quick), I think the primary thing is what you do when you get the ball. Messi has amazing close control, as good as anyone I have ever seen, Ronaldo’s not in the same league for me. Also the ability of Messi to almost always select the right pass, something Zidane possessed in spades, is better than Ronaldo. I also think that Messi has a better shot than Ronaldo and is more accruate with his shooting.
I don’t mean to run down Ronaldo in any of this. He is a superb footballer but he is been judged against the very best here.
Messi can’t head the ball? I suppose that goal in the champions league final just happened to bounce off him KIB?
I think you are being harsh on him against Inter. Mourinho put a simple but effective strategy in place to disrupt him by bringing Cambiasso across to cover him coming in on his left foot. I would say that he was still probably Barca’s best performer in those two games.
He was poor in the World Cup granted, but then again so was Ronaldo.
5 Live were saying last night that there’s nobody better than Bale!
I think everyone who is definitive on which player is better is naturally wrong. They both have their strengths. Messi has better close control, Ronaldo is a bit more powerful.
I don’t expect Ronaldo to track back but Messi’s workrate in defending high up the pitch is outstanding. Thomas Tuchel (innovative Mainz coach) was recently asked what he liked about other teams. He’s very slow to hand out praise normally but he said Barcelona have impressed him more than any other team and their most impressive trait was their defending from the front:
“Their outstanding quality is their devotion and passion when it comes to winning the ball back in the opposition’s half once they lose it. That’s only possible with a huge amount of humility. It’s not a given that stars at this high level are collectively committed to an idea and that no one takes the liberty of doing a little less of the hard work.”
Random quote from one guy but that’s what I was getting at earlier in praising Messi’s work. It’s not so much that he tracks back and that Ronaldo doesn’t. It’s that he’s a hugely important part of the way Barcelona defend and to get that level of work from a player as gifted as Messi is very rare.
Spot on. Too often that is thrown out as a huge black mark on Ronaldo but who gives a shit really when he scores the amount of goals that he does, and if he is not asked to help defensively. There was a case of a United fan advocating Rooney over Ronaldo, when the latter got 41 goals in a season, on the basis that he tracks back more. Fucking bullshit.
The guy on Sky last night asked Van Der Vaart if he had ever played with anyone as good as this guy (nodding towards Bale) before? I’d say Van Der Vaart was ready to burst laughing but gave the diplomatic answer.
i suppose you missed the proviso - like Ronaldo, your selective reading problem raises its head again :rolleyes: . Ronaldo is one of the best players I have ever seen in the air. A lot braver than many would give him credit for, some leap on him too.
Messi does work hard, the season Barca won all before them they pressed very hard up the pitch. With Ibra in the side they didnt seem as hungry to chase down last season. Arsenal play some good stuff but without the ball their forwards dont bother their arse chasing around, some of their midfielders the same.
Who would be on the next level - Id have Eto’o up there. proved he can play anywhere up front, dont think David Villa is there yet. Xavi certainly, Drogba, Ashley Cole (shit in the world cup but generally superb), cant think of anymore. Think the likes of Tevez, Rooney, De Jong, Alonso, Sneijder, Schweinsteiger, Iniesta would be a level below, Lucio probably the best defender around at the mo though he went walkabout for the first Spurs goal last night. Not really a great age for top central defenders.
I fucking hate skysports soccer coverage. Serious trashbags.
Messi is 5ft 7, Ronaldo is 6ft 1. Of course Ronaldo is going to be more of a threat in the air but Messi more than holds his own on headers for a man of his size.
I’d rate both as unbelievable footballers, a privilege to see them both play in my time, but I’d rate Messi as the best.