2014/2015
- All Competitions - (excluding country) (beginning with messi)
- 21 Apps
- 9 Assists
- 21 Goals
- 32 Goals
- 10 Assists
- 23 Apps
- La Liga -
- 15 Apps
- 7 Assists
- 13 Goals
- 25 Goals
- 8 Assists
- 14 Apps
- Champions League -
- 6 Apps
- 2 Assists
- 8 Goals
- 5 Goals
- 2 Assists
- 6 Apps
- Other Cups - (Copa Del Rey, Spanish Super Cup, World Club Cup)
- 0 Apps
- 0 Assists
- 0 Goals
- 2 Goals
- 0 Assists
- 3 Apps
M10 Abilities CR7
- Goalscoring -
It seems as if Lionel Messi breaks a goalscoring record every other week, such is his mindblowing knack for finding the back of the net. He became Barcelona's all time leading scorer at the age of 24 AND has broken Gerd Muller's 39 year old record for the most goals scored in a single European season (73). Astonishing.
He is simply one of the greatest
goalscorers of all time and will no doubt set even more practically
unbreakable records throughout his career.
Remarkably, Ronaldo tends to match Messi's ability to find the back of the net and can also be considered as one of the greatest goalscorers of all time.
As of the end of the 2013/14 season, he had scored
177 goals in 165 league appearances for Real Madrid which is nothing
short of incredible. He continues to break Madrid's goalscoring records,
the most impressive being his 60 goal haul in all competitions in the 2011/12 season; following up with 55 goals in 2012/13 and 51 in 2013/14.
- Heading -
Heading is one of the few aspects of
Messi's game that is not widely considered as being a world class
attribute; not surprising considering his lack of height.
He is far from poor with his head
though and chances are he will punish you if he's presented with a
decent heading opporunity. Many will remember he famously headed his
team into a 2 goal lead against Man Utd in the 2009 Champions League
final.
For someone with such elegant skills
and technique on the ground, Ronaldo can leap and power his head
through the ball like a League Two centre back, with many of his countless goals coming via his noggin.
The fact that Ronaldo towers over the much smaller Messi makes it no surprise that he is far more effective with his head.
- Free Kicks -
Messi's vision and creativity with a
dead ball is what sets him apart from most free-kick specialists. His
ability to identify a spot and a route to that spot that eludes all
opposing players in his way is simply pure class.
He perhaps lacks the force that Ronaldo can get behind a dead ball, but it's the finesse that makes his free-kicks special.
Ronaldo's combination of sheer power
and ability to make a ball move in all manner of directions place him
amongst the most feared dead ball specialists. Few can match the pure
theatre created as CR7 takes his trademark stance over a dead ball.
However, such is the power he
attampts to pile into his free-kick attempts, a large percentage often
strike the wall or sail over the bar.
- Penalties -
Messi's overall penalty record can almost only be considered average, having scored 20 from 27 for Barca as of February 2012.
Similarly to free-kicks, Messi
probably lacks the power that Ronaldo can put into his spot kicks, which
can be even more effective from 12 yards out.
Ronaldo on the other hand has an
unrivalled record from the penalty spot. As of February 2012, he had
scored 23 from 24 penalties for Real and 11 from 14 in his days at Old
Trafford, which is extremely impressive.
When Ronaldo misses from 12 yards, it's big news. They don't come much cooler than CR7 when placing the ball on the spot.
- Skill & Technique -
Messi has a near perfect combination
of technique, speed, balance and intelligence which give him the
uncanny ability to sprint into a crowd of players and come out the other
side with the ball still at his feet and in complete control.
Whilst Messi isn't the fastest of
sprinters, the speed at which his feet can move can seem almost
impossible and combined with his abundance of skill, can often create
the illusion that the ball is just glued to his feet.
Ronaldo is king of the step-over and
has plenty more tricks up his sleeve that, with the help of his
lightning pace, can take him past defenders as if they weren't there.
Whilst Ronaldo's skill and technique
cannot be questioned, he can be guilty of one step-over too many or a
bit of flamboyance & showmanship that wasn't really necessary;
sometimes costing his team possession.
- Physicality -
At 5 foot 7 inches, Messi isn't the
tallest of guys and in his younger days, was in real danger of being
overlooked (quite literally) due to his slight build and lack of
physical prowess.
Luckily (for him and for us), his
breathtaking, natural talent shone through. And his size can be quite
deceptive! He is perfectly capable of holding his own against his larger
opponents and can pack some serious power behind his shots.
Physically, Ronaldo is as close to
perfection as it gets for the modern day footballer. At 6 foot 2, he's
got the height and with the help of his impecible physique, he has the
strength of an ox.
Where Messi has the edge with skill & technique, Ronaldo makes up for with strength and speed.
- Team Play -
For someone with so much skill and
so many solo goals to his name, Messi has a remarkable reputation as a
team player and is very rarely accused of holding onto the ball longer
than he should have done. His scoring record is obviously closely
matched by Ronaldo, but it's the assists count that shows a clear gap in
Messi's favour.
In contrast to Messi, Ronaldo has
often been the subject of frustration for both fans and team-mates,
often guilty of trying to do too much on his own when using a team mate
might have been a better option.
Despite this issue, you cannot
ignore the fact that Ronaldo's assist record is a very healthy one,
although someway short of Messi.
- Discipline -
Unsurprisingly, due to his lightning
quick feet and skill, Messi is hacked at and kicked countless times
almost every game, but where some players would go down, rolling around
in 'agony', Messi usually does everything he can to stay on his feet and
continue the attack.
He is of course no saint and can
show petulance and frustration at times, but in general, this behaviour
is usually seen as the exception rather than the norm for Messi.
Messi came out of the 2013/14 season with just 3 yellow cards to his name in all competitions.
Ronaldo has received much criticism
for this part of his game, often being accused of going down too easily
or feigning injury to the benefit of his team.
One might argue that it is his
undeniable passion for the game and will to win that sometimes gets the
better of him when decisions do not go his way.
He notched up 7 yellows and 1 red in all competitions in the 2013/14 season.
- Conclusion -
The final scores highlight just how
close the battle is between these 2 players and just how lucky we are to
have them both playing in one generation.
Messi dropped points mainly due to
his physical limitations in areas such as heading, strength and power,
but he topped his opponent on natural ability and technique on the ball,
as well as his effectiveness on the rest of the team.
It is perhaps the initiative he
holds on the latter points that has led to the more widely accepted view
that Messi is the outright, best player in the world today, and in many
people's opinion - the best ever.
Ronaldo has sometimes had to accept
life in the shadow of Messi, which for someone of Ronaldo's talent and
effectiveness, must be frustrating.
However, there is no doubting that
since Ronaldo's move to Spain, the gap has grown ever smaller and now -
certainly in terms of goals at least - there is a great case for
claiming the 2 players are now on a par, or perhaps, that Ronaldo has
even overtaken the Argentinian. With Messi's 2013 progressing in fits
and starts, Ronaldo deservedly won the Ballon d'Or to take the official
title of current best player in the world.
Whatever your stance though, there
is little doubt that these 2 players are light years ahead of anybody
else playing the game today, and will surely go down as 2 of football's
all time greats.
- Barcelona
- Premier League
- Lionel Messi
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Hmmmn this duo!
ReplyDeletepeople can not just stop talking about them!
anyways i go with ronaldo
I go with Ronaldo!
ReplyDeletedon't just know why I like the guy
See them o!
ReplyDeleteIt's so obvious that it's Messi boku na!
4 Ballon d'Or?
Habah! until CR7 has gotten that, then we can talk!
CR7, He is a goal machine and the football is all about scoring!
ReplyDeleteRonaldo na my guy jare