Messi v Ronaldo | Contains double your daily salt allowance

[Peyroteo]

Not sure I agree with that, Ronaldo or Messi will win it barring some kind of catastrophe.

If Neymar wins the World cup for Brazil while playing at his best and both Messi and Ronaldo do nothing special at the World Cup, he'll take it.

Anyone else would need the right storm but it's completely possible. Forlan finished above Ronaldo in 2010 for example, Neuer in 2014 was 0.02% away from finishing above Messi. A great World Cup performance rightfully goes a long way. If Tottenham and England get to the CL and WC final respectively on the back off great Kane performances why would he not win it? Plenty of players are in contention for it this year.

 

[El Jefe]

Messi for me.

Considering the gap in natural talent its an incredible feat for Ronaldo to be level on Ballon d'or's with Messi.

I will say Ronaldo has benefited from much superior coaching and this has been a massive advantage for him over Messi. Leo has had only 1 elite manager in his career whereas Ronaldo has had arguably 4. Messi under Pep was unreal and you would think with 1 or more elite managers in his career instead of Tata and Roura he would have at least one more Ballon d'or.

Messi just won 1 after Pep. Managers have played a huge role in this is hardly mentioned.

 

[Cal?]

If Neymar wins the World cup for Brazil while playing at his best and both Messi and Ronaldo do nothing special at the World Cup, he'll take it.

Anyone else would need the right storm but it's completely possible. Forlan finished above Ronaldo in 2010 for example, Neuer in 2014 was 0.02% away from finishing above Messi. A great World Cup performance rightfully goes a long way. If Tottenham and England get to the CL and WC final respectively on the back off great Kane performances why would he not win it? Plenty of players are in contention for it this year.

Well, it could happen, but personally I think it's going to take a Maradona-86-esque run for anyone to win it ahead of those 2, and it's not going to happen.

Those 2 are still the dominant players in the game IMO.

 

[Ishdalar]

Well, it could happen, but personally I think it's going to take a Maradona-86-esque run for anyone to win it ahead of those 2, and it's not going to happen.

Those 2 are still the dominant players in the game IMO.

Meh, if neither of them wins the UCL and Neymar wins the WC he has it locked.

At this point I'd rather see something absurd, like we winning the UCL vs Real Madrid with a Paulinho thundercnut in the last minute, and then he scoring 3 tournament goals and the final winner for Brazil in the WC, that opens the scenario where a lot of people would swap from laughing at the guy 12 months ago to compare his season with Messi.

 

[Pink Moon]

Ronaldo has 10 goals so far in 2018 (roughly 50 days into the year), including 2 against PSG, who are supposed to be one of the best teams around, how is that not Ballon D'or worthy if he keeps it up?

Impressing in the key games each year obviously play a much bigger part than the other games, Ronaldo stepped up in the key months of 2017 whilst Messi disappeared, the rest of the year doesn't make up for his lackluster Mar-May.

If he keeps up at a rate of 10 goals every 3 weeks then yeah, he'll be the obvious winner but he won't because that would be ridiculous.

Don't really buy into the PSG stuff. One was a penalty and the other was a fortuitous tap in. Yeah they all count but a bit of perspective is needed.

It's funny you say Messi disappeared because IIRC he was the only Barca player who turned up v Juve and put chances on a plate for his teammates that bottled it. Iniesta if I recall had a great chance after a Messi through ball. Can't really blame him for that.

 

[Daysleeper]

If Real don’t win UCL, Ronaldo won’t even be a top 3 candidate.

It will be Messi, Neymar, and maybe De Bruyne

 

[shamans]

over the last 10 years when i've played football at a club / uni / school / socially , basically all the good players i play with or against favour messi and the poor players favour ronaldo. a quite noticeable trend.

says it all really. same thing goes for fifa too.

Personally don't understand why they have sham trophies like Ballon D'ors and European player of the year when they can just refer to harry clarke's player's he has played against in club/uni/schoo/social.

Also, SAF and Rio Ferdinand should be ashamed to not share the opinion of the school lads you have been playing against!

 

[Acheron]

No one talked about this until past year,

Yeah, well until last year that type of impact was unprecedented but it's still a big feature by him and hope he can't replicate something remotely close again.

 

[RedRonaldo]

I don’t get it when people say Ronaldo is better goalscorer too. I think they are about equal in terms of scoring goals (Messi better in the league, Ronaldo better in CL, overall about the same), with Messi better in playmaking, passing and dribbling, whereas Ronaldo is better at heading, penalty and mentality(more driven and determined). Normally most people would rate playmaking+passing+dribbling higher than heading+penalty+mentality, hence most would rate Messi being the better player.

Another way of looking at it, Messi has better influence on the game (more contribution throughout the match), whereas Ronaldo has bigger impact on winning the games (more match-winning goals to trophy success). (Hence some would rate Ronaldo being the greater player, if they rate greater impact>bigger influence)

 

[Givenchy]

This 'debate' (really its just Ronaldo fans flinging shit at Messi fans and vice versa these days) comes down mainly to preference. Some people like the beauty of the game and some prefer efficiency. Ronaldo is a machine, Messi is an artist.
A goal at the end of the day is a goal, whether its dribbling an entire team or taping one in near post, they all count for the same in the stats.

As a Barca fan I'm obviously more than a little biased but I do respect Ronaldo. The guy is keeping up with the majorities GOAT through pure drive and determination. He's 33 now and still hungry to be the best, he's probably the most dedicated (and obsessed) sportsman I've ever seen.

Both Messi and Ronaldo have taken football to another level and both are the most consistent players in history. I think Messi will be regarded as the GOAT of this generation by most but Ronaldo has ran him pretty close. Ronaldo could go down as having a slightly better career but both are still playing so for now, to be continued...

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Not sure I agree with that, Ronaldo or Messi will win it barring some kind of catastrophe.

Catastrophe? Brazil have a decent chance to win the WC. If Neymar wins that, it's his.

 

[Cal?]

Catastrophe? Brazil have a decent chance to win the WC. If Neymar wins that, it's his.

It depends what Ronaldo and Messi get up to in the CL/WC.

If Real 3-peats the CL with Ronaldo doing as much as last year, will the WC alone be enough for Neymar?

I personally think barring both getting horrific long term injuries, it's very unlikely for anyone else to win it. (Granted I don't think Brazil's chances of winning the WC is that high)

 

[amolbhatia50k]

It depends what Ronaldo and Messi get up to in the CL/WC.

If Real 3-peats the CL with Ronaldo doing as much as last year, will the WC alone be enough for Neymar?

I personally think barring both getting horrific long term injuries, it's very unlikely for anyone else to win it. (Granted I don't think Brazil's chances of winning the WC is that high)

World cup will significant outweigh any other trophy of 2018. If Neymar wins it, no one will care if Ronaldo wins another CL or Messi a treble.

 

[Lord SInister]

World cup will significant outweigh any other trophy of 2018. If Neymar wins it, no one will care if Ronaldo wins another CL or Messi a treble.

Maybe in other eras, but in Messi, Cristiano era, nah.
Unless both fail to win CL.

 

[Cal?]

World cup will significant outweigh any other trophy of 2018. If Neymar wins it, no one will care if Ronaldo wins another CL or Messi a treble.

Not if Real win the CL. A CL 3-peat has only ever been done 3 times in the history of the game, a WC is literally won every 4 years. Did a WC winner win the Ballon D'or in 2014, or 2010?

 

[balaks]

The only two football forums in the world that would rate CR over Messi are a Utd forum and a Madrid forum.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Not if Real win the CL. A CL 3-peat has only ever been done 3 times in the history of the game, a WC is literally won every 4 years. Did a WC winner win the Ballon D'or in 2014, or 2010?

In this scenario, whether Real win the CL or Barca. If Messi wins the treble I think that would be his third treble which would be freakish. It won't matter. Winning the world cup would give an elite player the Balon Dor.

Yeah and did a player like Neymar win the world cup? He's going to put up huge numbers and a WC would make the crown his. You can try to rationalize it but it's pointless. The world cup outweighs the other trophies by a big margin unless the performance gap is absolute huge which it won't be.

Btw I wouldnt give the WC that much importance if I were up to me. But the Balon Dor is about glamour and glory more than performances.

On another note, would you take United winning the CL and Messi winning the Balon Dor and WC this year?

 

[Lord SInister]

What if Messi wins the treble and World Cup

 

[Cal?]

In this scenario, whether Real win the CL or Barca. If Messi wins the treble I think that would be his third treble which would be freakish. It won't matter. Winning the world cup would give an elite player the Balon Dor.

Yeah and did a player like Neymar win the world cup? He's going to put up huge numbers and a WC would make the crown his. You can try to rationalize it but it's pointless. The world cup outweighs the other trophies by a big margin unless the performance gap is absolute huge which it won't be.

Btw I wouldnt give the WC that much importance if I were up to me. But the Balon Dor is about glamour and glory more than performances.

On another note, would you take United winning the CL and Messi winning the Balon Dor and WC this year?

Xavi and Iniesta were not elite players in 2010?

The only thing not elite about them was that they weren't called Ronaldo or Messi.

If PSG fail to turn it round in 2 weeks (which is very likely), it's very much Neymar out of contention unless he does a Maradona-86 in the World Cup.

I would take United winning the CL above just about anything (that doesn't involve death), Messi can win the NBA and Wimbledon as well and I wouldn't care a tiny bit.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Maybe in other eras, but in Messi, Cristiano era, nah.
Unless both fail to win CL.

In any era.

People act as if there haven't been all time greats in any other era. The WC is the definitive trophy for footballers. Im sure both Messi and Ronaldo would trade multiple CLs for one WC. Besides were talking about Neymar here. His general performance levels are not off the best anyway. All he needs are the team achievements with him as the fulcrum.

 

[Cal?]

What if Messi wins the treble and World Cup

What if Ronaldo 3-peats the CL and "Maradona-86"s the WC?

(If we're just dealing with hypothetical)

 

[Lord SInister]

What if Ronaldo 3-peats the CL and "Maradona-86"s the WC?

(If we're just dealing with hypothetical)

He will win the Ballon Dor simple as feck.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Xavi and Iniesta were not elite players in 2010?

The only thing not elite about them was that they weren't called Ronaldo or Messi.

If PSG fail to turn it round in 2 weeks (which is very likely), it's very much Neymar out of contention unless he does a Maradona-86 in the World Cup.

I would take United winning the CL above just about anything (that doesn't involve death), Messi can win the NBA and Wimbledon as well and I wouldn't care a tiny bit.

Not the same thing. They arent forwards and dont get the glory. Xavi/Madric can out perform Messi/Ronaldo but the latter two would still be favoured for an award such as this.

Neymar is a different beast. His performances don't go unnoticed and their level isn't really very different to the big twos in general.

 

[Cal?]

In any era.

People act as if there haven't been all time greats in any other era. The WC is the definitive trophy for footballers. Im sure both Messi and Ronaldo would trade multiple CLs for one WC. Besides were talking about Neymar here. His general performance levels are not off the best anyway. All he needs are the team achievements with him as the fulcrum.

His general performances in Ligue 1 doesn't matter at all if he repeats his lackluster performance in the 1st leg in the 2nd leg.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

His general performances in Ligue 1 doesn't matter at all if he repeats his lackluster performance in the 1st leg in the 2nd leg.

His performances in general are of an elite level. Add a WC and he's sorted.

Average performance in one tie won't be definitive. I doubt you'd disregard Ronaldo if he struggles in another WC.

 

[Cal?]

Not the same thing. They arent forwards and dont get the glory. Xavi/Madric can out perform Messi/Ronaldo but the latter two would still be favoured for an award such as this.

Neymar is a different beast. His performances don't go unnoticed and their level isn't really very different to the big twos in general.

Just before the Ronaldo-Messi era, even defenders win the Ballon D'or as long as they are the perceived star player of the WC winning side.

Neymar putting up huge number in Ligue 1 won't matter a tiny bit if they crash out of the CL at the last 16 again.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Just before the Ronaldo-Messi era, even defenders win the Ballon D'or as long as they are the perceived star player of the WC winning side.

Neymar putting up huge number in Ligue 1 won't matter a tiny bit if they crash out of the CL at the last 16 again.

Alright mate. If that gives you confident of Ronado winning it and hence mental happiness then keep believing it.

 

[Cal?]

His performances in general are of an elite level. Add a WC and he's sorted.

Average performance in one tie won't be definitive. I doubt you'd disregard Ronaldo if he struggles in another WC.

Come on, Ligue 1? Zlatan used to put up impressive numbers in Ligue 1.

I'm not saying Neymar has no chance, but he needs to at least win the WC whilst being topscorer to stand any chance if Ronaldo or Messi wins the CL and Portugal and Argentina don't crash out that the group stage.

 

[Cal?]

Alright mate. If that gives you confident of Ronado winning it and hence mental happiness then keep believing it.

No, I just don't agree some people think Neymar will have it in the bag as long as Brazil win the WC.

Iniesta was probably as big a name as Neymar in 2010 and he actually scored the WC winning goal.

 

[broccoli]

No, I just don't agree some people think Neymar will have it in the bag as long as Brazil win the WC.

Iniesta was probably as big a name as Neymar in 2010 and he actually scored the WC winning goal.

I'd say Iniesta was on a superior level than the one Neymar is right now.

 

[Cal?]

I'd say Iniesta was on a superior level than the one Neymar is right now.

Debatable, but exactly why I don't think Brazil win WC = Neymar Ballon D'or.

 

[RedRonaldo]

If Neymar turns it around and win the CL, plus if Brazil win the WC (even he didn’t end up as best player or top scorer of the tournament), he could still win it.

I think the Ballon D’or is very open up this year, any top players (Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar, De Bruyne, Kane) could win it if they have big trophies to follow up with.

De Bruyne could win it too if City win CL and Belgium win WC.

Hell even Kane could win it too if Spur somehow win CL and England somehow win WC.

 

[Kinsella]

What if Ronaldo 3-peats the CL and "Maradona-86"s the WC?

(If we're just dealing with hypothetical)

Ronaldo can't "Maradona" anything.

 

[RedRonaldo]

Ronaldo can't 'Maradona' anything.

What if he ‘Ronaldo’ the WC in similar fashion as he did last year on CL knockout stages though?

 

[Kinsella]

What if he ‘Ronaldo’ the WC in similar fashion as he did last year on CL knockout stages though?

That's highly unlikely of course, but...not impossible.

At least it has a bit of realism attached to it though.

 

[United never give up]

I'd argue that tonight's match is one of the biggest in Messi's career

In the CL knockouts in the last few years Ronaldo (with a superior team it must be said) has outperformed him

Messi needs to deliver in these next few months (CL/World Cup) some great performances to further enhance his legacy. Just concerned that he's looked tired in recent weeks

 

[Cal?]

Ronaldo can't "Maradona" anything.

Ronaldo the QF onwards in the CL last season > Maradona in WC 86.

 

[Cal?]

I'd argue that tonight's match is one of the biggest in Messi's career

In the CL knockouts in the last few years Ronaldo (with a superior team it must be said) has outperformed him

Messi needs to deliver in these next few months (CL/World Cup) some great performances to further enhance his legacy. Just concerned that he's looked tired in recent weeks

Indeed, if he bottles the CL again, no amount of crying from the Messi brigade will change anything.

 

[Luke1995]

All Messi needs to do to further enhance his legacy is to play really well. At this point in his career, trophies doesn't matter anymore, if he hummiliates chelsea players and barça gets knocked out anyway, people will still rate him very highly.

 

[Kinsella]

Ronaldo the QF onwards in the CL last season > Maradona in WC 86.