MESSI : 8 REASONS WHY HE IS BETTER THAN CR7

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.