These days, if one is an active fan of the game of football, it seems one has to choose between Team Messi and Team Ronaldo. Generally speaking, the world of football is divided along those lines. It’s not just about the stats and the trophies, the rivalry is mainly about the kind of emotion stirred up by these two outstanding players, both off and on the pitch.
You will find that every detail is analyzed, every of their gestures explained, their dribbling techniques discussed and compared. Foul, assists, goals, champion, the most recent statistics are also among the elements used by fans and analysts alike to compare these two football titans.
Since time immemorial, the sporting world has enjoyed fuelling from rivalries among top rated athletes, teams and countries.
The Messi v Ronaldo debate has earned its place as one of the most contended sport issues in the 21st century.
One of the most frequently asked questions in the world of football when it comes to the Messi v Ronaldo debate is “Who is the best?”
This question has been asked multiple times by newspaper columnists and reporters, sport anchors on TV, sport analysts on Radio, bloggers on the internet, for a long time now.
A diverse coterie of people have reacted to this question over the years: from club managers, to footballers, active and retired, to sport analysts and everyday fans of football.
A lot of people don’t even pretend to make their pick based on a robust study of their playing patterns since there’s a limit to the comparison one can make about an apple and a mango. Both are fruits but that’s about the size of all they have in common.
Lots of people pick one of the duo based on what they enjoy seeing in a player. For example, when Fabio Capello was still England’s Coach, he was reported to have said; “it’s difficult to decide which one is better. They are both very good but in different ways. Messi is unpredictable. No one is capable of doing what he does. But Cristiano is very powerful and has incredible speed”
When Capello was asked who among the duo he will like to have on his team, he joking answered; “Cristiano speaks English but Messi speaks Football”
Evidently, even though Fabio Capello recognizes how immensely talented both players are he still believes Lionel Messi is the best and no amount of belabouring the point can hide that.
Who else agrees with Fabio Capello’s assessment? Lots of people.
Among these people is the former Argentina Coach, Sergio “El Checho” Batista. In an interview with The Economist, a Notable British Newspaper, El Checho expressed his opinion on the matter when he said; “For me, Messi is the best, but both of them are up there on the list of the greats. Leo has amazing skills, he’s incredibly talented, and he has a left-footed shot that many players envy”
He further added that “Cristiano hits the ball very well, he is strong and he moves very fast”
There’s no doubt in the Manchester City Manager’s mind, Pep Guardiola, about who the best player is.
He maintains that Lionel Messi is the best footballer in history. He put it this way; “There has never been a player like him (Lionel Messi) and I don’t think there will ever be another like him”
With all that has been reported in the preceding paragraphs, you may think Lionel Messi is the football player getting all the love but we still have people who prefer not to choose one player over the other.
For instance, former Portugal Manager, Paul Bento, believes they are both top players. Full Stop.
Then we have the true believers of a religion called ‘Cristiano Ronaldo’.
These people believe, without doubt, that CR7 is the better player. Carlo Ancelotti believes Cristian is a football player from another world, he said that in reference to his goal scoring records. Usain Bolt is another true believer in CR7. The athlete remarked that “Ronaldo is better than Messi, without a doubt. He’s a more well-rounded player”. He also added that Ronaldo is an affable personality, one of the many reasons he’s the better player.
What does Sir Alex Ferguson think about the Messi v Ronaldo debate? Well you’re about to find out. The Football Legend once said; “People say ‘who’s the best player in the world?’ and plenty of people rightly say Lionel Messi–you can’t dispute that opinion. But Ronaldo could play for Millwall, Queens Park Rangers and Doncaster and score a hat trick. I’m not sure Lionel Messi could do it. Ronaldo’s got the feet, quick, brave in the air. I think Messi is a Barcelona player”
What do you make of Sir Fergie’s remark? It’s clear he thinks Ronaldo is a more versatile player, that Messi is a one trick pony who possibly won’t make waves in the world of football if he leaves Barcelona. No amount of patronizing comments on how “Messi is the undisputed best player” can hide his true opinion.
In spite of the professional rivalry between Messi and Ronaldo, as fueled by the media’s characterization of the duo as great enemies as much as they are great players, the two players have always shown utmost respect for each other in public and in the press.
In interviews, journalists, in their obsessive hunt for a controversy, are always asking about one of the player’s opinions on the other player. It is clear that the rivalry and the animated reactions that attend it is great for business. This rivalry fills up stadiums, sells football jerseys and other mementoes, makes tv earnings possible, to mention a few of the upside.
When asked about each other, the players seem to understand that they both want the best for their respective clubs and countries. Nothing personal.
That notwithstanding, there’s no doubt that the rivalry has inspired the two of them to keep striving for improvement and all the niceties aside, they both want to be better than each other.
Football players like Eden Hazard (Real Madrid), retired Paul Scholes, Neymar Jnr (PSG) all believe Lionel Messi is the best player while players like Bernardo Silva (Manchester City) and Georgnio Wijnaldum (Liverpool) believe the Juventus Ace, Cristiano Ronaldo, is the better player.
This article, like no other article, can tell you point blank who the best player is. Such assessments are best left to the individual.
