8. Speed
According to John
Dorsey of ESPN, “in a game built on speed and agility, there are few soccer
players faster or more agile than Argentina’s Lionel Messi.” Where Messi can
shine the most is in his initial acceleration. According to the Telegraph, Messi
can burst, “out of the blocks and reach full speed within five yards”. Messi’s
amazing speed also allows him to dribble the ball with remarkable ease on the
pitch, making him very difficult for defenders (even those who try to double
team Messi) to stop him. There is no doubt that Ronaldo’s size makes him a more
physical player, but Messi’s smaller stature allows him to utilize his speed
more frequently.
7.
Creativity
Messi
is highly praised for his innovation and imagination while playing soccer. According
to former English soccer manager Fabio Capello, who will be managing Russia at
the World Cup next month in Brazil, Messi has more creativity than Ronaldo. An
example of Messi’s creativity is his strong vision of his surroundings that
allows him to get the ball to the best possible place so his team can develop
an attack. According to Gerardo Martino, his former manager at FC
Barcelona, Messi’s creativity is as important as his ability to score goals.
6.
Passing Ability
Ronaldo
might have had more assists than Messi this past year (15 compared to 12), but
Messi actually had more assists per games this season (.255 compared to .254)
because he played in 12 fewer games. Also, only two years ago, when Messi had a
remarkable 2011-12 season where he scored 77 goals in 70 games for either
Argentina or Barcelona, he had 27 assists compared to Ronaldo’s 16. Messi has
also been highly praised for keeping his teammates more active and involved
while on the pitch than Ronaldo.
5.
Defense
According
to bleacherreport.com, Ronaldo’s most obvious weakness is his play away from
the ball. In the 2012-13 La Liga season, Ronaldo was more likely to commit a
foul than generate an interception. He had 0.8 fouls per match, compared to 0.3
interceptions per match. Messi had similar statistics to Ronaldo in
interceptions per match (both averaged 0.3), but was more likely to generate a
tackle and less likely to commit a foul. Messi had 0.6 tackles per match
compared to Ronaldo’s 0.4 tackles per match in 2012-13 La Liga action, and only
0.4 fouls per match. In 2013-14, Ronaldo passed Messi in tackles by a slim
margin of 18-14, but still committed twice as many fouls, making him a
defensive liability at times.
4. More
International Accolades
Over the last six years, Messi has won the FIFA Ballon d’Or
(awarded to male soccer player of the year) four times. In comparison, Ronaldo
has won the award twice. To be recognized by coaches and captains of
international teams, as well as worldwide journalists, is a significant achievement.
Even though Ronaldo beat out Messi in 2013, Messi won the award every year from
2009-2012. Prior to Messi’s remarkable run, no soccer player had ever been
named the FIFA Player of the Year four times, and Messi won the award four
years in a row! Messi’s best year came in 2012, when he
scored 91 goals in a season, the most ever by a player in a single year, and a
record that Ronaldo has not yet matched.
3.
Leadership and Team Play
Since
2011, Messi has been the captain of the Argentinian national team and captained
FC Barcelona for the first time in 2013. Argentinian manager Alejandro Sabella
gave the captaincy to Messi because he was impressed with his maturity. Over
the years, Messi has been highly praised for his ability to keep his teammates
involved in the game by not holding on to the ball too long when he has
possession. Ronaldo, who has been the Portugese captain since 2008, has
meanwhile been criticized in the past for falling on the pitch too easily. Even
though the move is considered by some as an important tactic to generate a
scoring chance, there are many who suggest that there is no place for diving in
soccer. Ronaldo has also been criticized for trying to do too much with the
ball and not utilizing his teammates enough. Both Ronaldo and Messi will be
counted on significantly for their respective national teams at the 2014 World
Cup in Brazil.
2.
Discipline
In
the 2012-13 season, Messi only had two yellow cards all season long and picked
up three yellow cards in 2013-14. That was compared to Ronaldo’s total of 16
yellow cards and one red card in 2012-13, and ten yellow cards and one red card
in 2013-14. Keeping your composure is very important in soccer because of its
team component, and it seems that Messi has the historical edge in this
category. Messi also did not pick up a yellow card in five games at the 2010
World Cup for Argentina in South Africa, and has never had a red card in his
entire career. Ronaldo has had eight red cards since his rookie season in 2003.
1.
Accuracy
One
of the most significant statistics when comparing two players is their shooting
accuracy. Ronaldo scored three more goals than Messi in La Liga action this
past year, but also took 56 more shots than his rival. Ronaldo had 31 goals on
216 shots for a shooting percentage of 14.4%, compared to Messi, who notched 28
goals on 160 shots for a shooting percentage of 17.5%. Even though Ronaldo
should be highly praised for generating more opportunities than Messi, Ronaldo
is off target on more occasions, making him less dangerous than Messi when he
delivers a shot toward the goal.
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