That graph doesn’t really say that.I found this recently and thought it was pretty interesting. They had pretty similar stats the first 4/5 years of their career:
Ridiculous statement. Ever since Xavi was phased out (and Iniesta was still there) Messi has more times than not played as a midfielder without any defensive responsibility. He literally picks the ball up inside his own half 15-20 times per game. CRon has played in the box for the last 5+ seasons...
In the totality of their careers Messi has played closer to the box then Cristiano Ronaldo. I am not talking about current Ronaldo which is almost a striker. Ronaldos career at United and many years in Madrid was of a winger/wide forward. Messi has almost always played in either the left forward/rigth forward position and and or at the CF position.
Bollocks, you'd think that a player capable of scoring 73 goals in a season with the best midfield in the world would win the league, instead of a team with lesser quality versions like Ozil, Di Maria, Benzema, Kaka and Higuain not only beating them, but also setting the goal record in La Liga.
You have your season confused I believe. 11/12 Madrid won the title with a masterclass by Jose Mourinho. The following year was the 73 goal year by Messi and Barca won the league by 15 points.....
Nope. 2011/12 knocked out the cl by chelsea lost the league to Madrid.
Ah ok thank you for correcting me but yes as I said above that 11/12 Madrid team is probably the best team (performance wise) they have had in a LONG time. Better then any other Madrid team after that IMO. Was unlucky to get eliminated by Bayern.
Modrich, Alonso and Kroos were excellent cm's. Didnt di maria also excell as a cm under ancelotti. And ozil is a class playmaker.
Messi is younger than Ronaldo too, plays further back for the majority of his career on the field. 2012 he played striker and scored over 80 goals in a calendar year and has been the best footballer in the world for over 10 years pretty much ever season.
The thing is - this conversation will never end because its not about the player but it's about the fans mind.
Ronaldo has played for united, real madrid, juventus and portugal. Even though portugal are not a football superpower they are not Wales or lithhuania.
Its pretty simple. All ronaldos tools are to score goals. Messi scores just as much but is also the best playmaker in the world.
Ronaldo extra CL titles and euro will always be amunition enough for some to claim hes better.
That's obvious - but it's the fact that Ronaldo tests or challenges himself and comes out on top that makes his fans.
What club could Messi possibly join thats a step up since 2009?
This thread is back alive?
But whats the debate ? They both score goals on a similar level. But the rest of their game one is streets ahead.
Frankly regardless of talent its impossible be as good as he has been for over a decade without being incredibly mentally strong.
A lot of people follow Ronaldo for his Instagram as much as his football these days. He does social media better than any athlete today.
You could say the same for United in 2008/2009, but Ronaldo made a stepdown at the time to go to a struggling Madrid.
There is, he is Barca academy graduate, he loves the club and wants to play for the club he really loves.
That's not an excuse at all. You could say he's loyal to the money since he's renewed 10 times. If he cared much for the club, he'd refuse a raise in order to relieve the club of such burden so they could get quality players faster, that's one of the things a LOYAL player and someone who LOVES the club would do.
Maybe in Disney movies, not in reality.
Well, you could as well have highlighted my reason for saying he should've refused a raise, stop nitpicking my comment, it's inappropriate.
Why will he refuse a raise? GOAT playing for a club with ridiculous revenue, should be paid highest wage. He is not doing a charity work.
Messi is great in passing, playmaking, dribbling and goalscoring. But to call him best of all time in everything is quite abit too farfetched.
It's ridicoulous notion. It would be like Giggs and Scholes joining Liverpool after 1999 because they were historically greater. In 2009 they were treble winners and played us off the park and did the same in 2011. In the Pep period they were destryoing Real Madrid as well. Figo was crucified for joing Real by the Barca fans and so was Michael Laudrup who joined them because he fell out with Cryuff and felt the barca squad at the time were at the end of their cycle.
Real Madrid were going full galactico when they bought Ronaldo and he knew this. That's why bought Kaka and Benzema the same summer. At the time it was crazy money. He went to the club, that was traditionally been the only step from from United in the Fergie Era.
Not really. Ronaldo had flirted with Madrid for years before his eventual departure. He always had his eyes set on the Bernebeau no matter what even though him and his team were top dog in England. He was supposed to move in 2008 but Alex Ferguson asked him to play for another year before allowing him to leave.
Still he knew he was going to have a great team built around him. It's not like Maradonna winning the Seria with Napoli.
This trick again...heading being a subset of goal scoring should be just under 1 category, or should we start talking about messi’s center of balance and ball control as well since you love to “multiply” a general skillset.
The team was equally built around him at United and he was on top. Madrid had just had their worst season in recent history when he signed for them, having been thumped by Barca at the bernebeau and demolished by Liverpool in the CL. There certainly weren’t any guarantees when he moved.
