Leonel Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo: who is the greater soccer player?

technical ability - Messi

physical ability - CR

overall i'd take Messi but i dont think there is a wrong answer to this one.

Messi is tougher , Ronaldo is frail when under pressure.

Umm ever heard of Ronaldinho???

Messi

and, of course, it's "greater", not "greatest" - you're just comparing two players.

Messi, and it's not that close.

2 years ago, Messi definitely. But in the last 2 years Renaldo has been outstanding.

MESSI because he didn't need a million dollars of plastic surgery in his face to be great.

i am the greatest wrote:

technical ability - Messi

physical ability - CR

overall i'd take Messi but i dont think there is a wrong answer to this one.

This is the right answer though I’d pick Ronaldo myself because he’s played for three teams in three different leagues (as well as the Portuguese national team) and proved himself by coming through every time. Portugal, especially, are not a top tier team and were no one’s bet to win the Euros last year.

Messi, on the other, has been at Barcelona since he was 13 and we don’t know how he’d fair in another league away from a team that’s built entirely around him, in hostile surroundings where he first has to win the home fans over. CR7 has done it three times.

Ronaldo is extremely polarising partly because of his overconfidence and perceived arrogance, he has as many haters as rabid fans. Also, because of his appearance, image and outspokenness, he represents the alpha guy who had it easy in high school, bullied the lower downs and got all the girls. But most football fans can’t identify with that because CR7 made their life at school miserable. Messi meanwhile is portrayed as the nice, humble, unselfish guy who only exists for the team. But as Zlatan Ibrahimovic and David Villa have said, and events surrounding Neymar have hinted, it’s all PR. The reality is Leo will not stand for anyone or anything that threatens his position in the team or his carefully crafted image. Meanwhile, CR7 wears his heart on his sleeve and in reality grew up a skinny, freckled teenager and mocked because of his Madeiran accent.

But both are legends of the game and we are lucky to be fans in their era.

lord Eric wrote:

Messi is tougher , Ronaldo is frail when under pressure.

Ronaldo inspired unfancied Portugal to an unlikely European Cup. Messi stumbled with the much more superior Argentina and still hasn’t won with them.

El Keniano wrote:

lord Eric wrote:

Messi is tougher , Ronaldo is frail when under pressure.

European Cup

It's not "European Cup". The official name is UEFA European Championship. But it's commonly known as "Euros".

The Euros put Ronaldo over the top.

Ronaldo is a beast, a goal-scoring machine, and has lead his teams to the Euro Cup and several Champions League wins. Hala Madrid!

But he's not close to as good as Messi.

First of all, you are obviously NOT a madridista. Second, Messi indeed is a better dribbler, and has , I think, superior instincts. But he’s also lacking in the air due to his lack of height. If dribbling is all you care about, then good for you. But I honestly think, when all factors are considered, Cristiano is the more complete player.

This isn’t about Leo’s likability or CR7’s marketability. It’s about who is objectively the most crucial for their team to win.

Ronaldo is an athletic talent particularly gifted at executing the fundamentals. Nine times out of ten when he scores a goal it's because he did exactly what he should have done. He does a lot with few touches and largely relies on his instincts as a goal scorer. Lately when you watch Ronaldo it's hard to ignore how good his whole team is and all the opportunities they create for him.

Messi demonstrates perhaps the most unassuming level of premeditation the game has ever seen and is still able to audible into a better play as the situation unfolds. While it can be argued that his humility is largely an act, I think it speaks to the cerebral quality of his play. He never seems to lose focus and can get his team out of many impossible situations. He is the only player who you will see nightly beat several double teams with his dribble. He has carried several teams with the added pressure of it being obvious to the opponents that he's their entire offense.

I really would have liked to have seen Messi take more of a LeBron James approach to his team with his recent contract and flat out take less money to improve the odds that his managers could surround him with great talent. It did not happen. But you are looking at a player who is now somewhat old and most players that age are put in a position to seek big contracts that last several years precisely so they are protected in the next few years when their game play will likely decline. He did what any aging athlete will do with his contract, but without Neymar it's going to become painfully obvious how crippled the team is with so much wrapped up in one player.

Ronaldo and Messi have both had great careers, but if Ronaldo stays on a good team for years to come his legacy will far eclipse that of Messi even if I would have rather taken Messi on my team. It's ultimately a team game and their legacies will reflect that.

You guys are idiots. PELE is the greatest player BY FAR. Knock it off!

lord Eric wrote:

Messi is tougher , Ronaldo is frail when under pressure.

this makes 0 sense....

That's true about Messi.

If you look at the statistics, he rarely ever scores in the beginning of the game, as he's watching how the other team is playing to adapt his strategy.

Messi best ever

Bc he is cool under threat

He’s done it so much that no situation bothers him

Cristiano strikes and gets lucky, thats it

Messi dribbles among 5 or 6 defensive aggressive threats and then scores easy goals. Easy goals that no one on planet earth can scores.

But, Soccer is a Communist sport that Dictators love.

Give the fools, the people, the masses a soccer ball and watch them play. While you steal their capital and freedom

EU, european union communists

When Ronaldo received his last Ballon D'Or, he was asked what makes him deserve it.

His answer was that he is so much better than anyone else, not only on his good days, but even if he is having a bad day.

Think about it for a second and then you realize that based on that merit alone, he deserves it.