1.Messi is technically much gifted
Ronaldo lovers always bring up stats- well here are some stats we have for you: It took Ronaldo 56 shots more than Messi to score just 3 goals more than him last year. Ronaldo seems to be shooting at every opportunity he gets (instead of passing the ball to his team mates) and scored 31 goals in 216 shots! Messi however scored 28 goals in just 160 opportunities. Messi also is credited to be a high scorer when it comes to assist- because that’s exactly how Barcelona players play- assisting and passing all the time. Real however- believes only in counter attack and long ball.
2.Messi is much disciplined than Ronaldo
Ronaldo has been seen to be involved in fights in many occasions. It wasn’t a new experience for either of us to see Ronaldo being shown the yellow card or being sent off. Fouls come naturally to Ronaldo. Messi although has faced yellows, but statistically- he is much more disciplined than the Portuguese. Messi’s highest yellow cards in a season were 3, back in 2013-2014. Ronaldo’s highest number of yellow cards in a season were 16 in that same year! Apart from that Ronaldo also was sent off once in that season. Messi is yet to face a red card while Ronaldo was sent off for 8 times since his career started in 2003.
3.Messi’s international record
This was a point where Ronaldo used to beat Messi and all Ronaldo lovers used to point out. But may we remind you, every time Ronaldo has led Portugal into the World Cup or any other championships have only led to disappointment. Ronaldo simply isn’t a leader that players look up to. He’s selfish- he’s way to drama queen and most of all- he dives to the ground in every opportunity that he gets. Messi on the other hand led his team to the World Cup finals and gave a good fight to Germany. He single handedly led the team from all the way in the group stage- beat that Ronaldo!
4.Messi is a perpetual goal scorer
Ronaldo might be a goal scorer- but Messi adds the word “Perpetual” before it. Scoring 91 goals in a single season is a feat that Ronaldo can only dream of achieving- even in Real Madrid where players look up onto him of being the #9 and the #7 player of the team as well (#9=poacher, #7=talented / trickster). Messi has more free kick goals than Ronaldo! Messi used to play in the false 9 position back in Pep Guardiola days- which made him a playmaker and a poacher- both!
5.Messi has more awards than Ronaldo
If you step back and look at the awards and distinctions these players have achieved for themselves or their nation / club, there is not much to differentiate between the two of them. However, Messi has more gold (speaking metaphorically) than Ronaldo or any other footballer in the world. He has 4 Ballon d’Or awards, which he won consecutively- which is a record in itself. Messi even was the Best Player of the Tournament in the FIFA 2014 World Cup. He also won every award there is to win being a professional footballer- apart from the World Cup of course, which he was very close to win last year.
6.Ultimate Passing skills
Ronaldo might score goals from each part of his body- but he can never pass a ball with the same accuracy as that of Leo Messi. His passing skills are absolutely spot on- and he has- in several occasions- nutmegged thousands of defenders by his passing ability. It’s almost as if he knows the trajectory the ball will travel if he passes is using a certain technique. Be it long ball, short pass, or just a chip- he can do it all with zero margin for error- and this makes him the best counter attacking footballer at the moment- because he simply doesn’t play’s a bad ball and ruin the counter attack. Ronaldo’s passing skills- though good- simply isn’t up to the mark to make him a legendary passer of the ball.
7.Messi is a team player
Messi is everything that Ronaldo can never be- and of those trait is selfishness. Messi is the most unselfish player in the entire world and sometimes he’ll pass the ball to a man who’s in a better position to score a goal- even when he knows that he has the capacity to score and finish the game once and for all! This is the kind of player every team wants. Messi can fit in Real Madrid but Ronaldo can never accustom himself to the kind of game Barcelona plays. Ronaldo might be good- but Messi is the best in this regard.
8.He Can Defend Too
Messi might not be as good as Wayne Rooney in defensive matters, but Messi has the ability to read both offensive and defensive gameplays and according to stats- Messi is more likely to intercept / win a ball from another player than Ronaldo. Whenever Portugal or Real Madrid lose the ball because of Ronaldo (which are very often if you check the stats), then he doesn’t even bother to strive back to win the ball. Messi on the other hand- presses the opposition to play a bad pass. Ronaldo commits twice as more fouls in a match than Messi- making him a less disciplined player than the Argentine.
9.3x More Creative
Messi is one of the best footballers in the world history of football- some say even better than Maradona and Ronaldo (Pele is incomparable!). But his role as a beginner in football- was always that of a wing-side playmaker- a player who could dictate counter attacks through his wing-play. And now that he’s the best goal scorer for the club and his finishing is excellent- he still retains that charm and beauty of a playmaker. Perhaps this is because of being nourished by the talents of Guardiola and Xavi himself. Ronaldo on the other hand has far less assists than Messi.
10.Built for speed
Ronaldo is a very fast footballer- but Messi is faster and more agile than him. Messi’s body structure is what that helps him to change his pace so quickly and it helps him to change his direction of dribbling without having to bleed away momentum- unlike Ronaldo. This also has helped him countless times when he could get by 3 or 4 defenders- making it seem as if they were non existent in the first place. Also, in the modern game where counter attacking needs 10 times more pace than it used to in the 1980s, Messi’s agility is like uranium for the nuclear bomb.