It is one of the great debates which has seemed almost impossible to settle. Many an hour has been wasted in pubs and over BBQs among friends who are in one camp or the other.
Not since the debacle that led to FIFA naming both Maradona and Pele as their ‘Player of the Century’ have battlelines been so harshly drawn between two competing sportsman.
It is up there with Ali and Frazier, Borg and McEnroe – or in an Australian context Ablett Sr and Jr.
As we stood around my BBQ recently the banter started to become quite heated. “Every time things get hard Ronaldo blames his teammates and throws his toys out of the cot” screeches one Messi supporter.
“Messi just cherry picks the work of Iniesta” claimed a Ronny fan.
“Can either of them do it on a cold Tuesday night at Stoke?” asks a friend’s annoying mate I didn’t really know that well and who won’t be receiving another invite…
Let me begin by saying that both are simply amazing footballers.
There is no point looking at their club careers in too much detail. Both have simply won it all. There are La Ligas, EPL titles, Cup triumphs playing at some of the biggest clubs in the world and multiple Champions League wins.
Individually to they have won a swag of awards including Ballon d’Or titles, La Liga and UEFA best player awards and FIFA world player of the year just to name a few. Trying to separate them on the strength of this is impossible.
On the international stage the fortunes of both players have seen peaks and troughs, but for me Ronaldo has been a significantly better performing across his career for his country.
Again this is not to say that Messi has not performed brilliantly at times for Argentina. But it must be remembered that Argentina are a team of stars who have won nothing over the past decade.
Every time they don’t win a title it is seen as a disappointment.
Ronaldo on the other hand is Portugal. Since scoring in the opening game of the 2004 European Championships as a 19-year-old, he has carried the team on his back and produced some amazing results for a country not quite at the same level as the major footballing world powers.
Messi’s record at major events (barring the 2014 World Cup) have been ordinary for a player of his class. Never has this been more evident than across the four Copa Americas in which he has led the Argentines.
In his first three Copa tournaments (2007, 2011, 2015) he managed only three goals (two coming when games were already decided) and none in 2011 when his nation hosted the tournament and as heavy favourites were bundled out on penalties to Uruguay.
In the 2015 and 2016 editions (2016 being the 100-year anniversary tournament played out of sequence), Argentina and Messi looked like finally fulfilling their potential only to squander the opportunity to Chile.
In 2015 Messi had a poor final while in 2016 he missed a crucial penalty in the shootout which handed Chile an advantage they never gave up.
At World Cups both he and Argentina were terrible in 2006 and 2010 when again they were expected to challenge. Brazil 2014 proved the pinnacle for Messi and his only real triumph individually for the national side bagging four goals and the Golden Ball award for player of the tournament.
His side however went down to an impressive German outfit in the final with Messi again struggling to put his stamp on proceedings. The wait for a trophy would continue.
Ronaldo’s World Cups haven’t been much better. A goal in each of 2006, 2010 and 2014 makes for a poor return, though in 2006 Portugal had a run which consisted of Ronaldo scoring the winning penalty to knock England out of the quarter finals.
His European Championships however have been something to behold.
In 2004 he scored two goals as hosts Portugal made the final. In 2008 they once again advanced out of the group and he was on the scoresheet. In 2012 he scored three goals including two against Holland to escape the group of death and another over the Czech’s in the quarter-finals in a gutsy 1-0 victory.
He did receive criticism in the semi-final for being the fifth member to take a penalty in the shoot out against Spain, which ultimately saw them knocked out before he was called upon to step up.
However he made amends in 2016 taking the vital first penalty in a quarter-final shootout before dominating the semi-final against Wales.
This for mine is the difference between the two stars.
Messi, with all the wonderful players Argentina have at their disposal, has been unable to lift his side when they have needed him most. While Ronaldo, often on his own and against great odds, has time and again pushed Portugal to results most thought not possible.
With Portugal making its second European Final in his time with the team Ronaldo now has the chance to lift a trophy and do something to elevate himself above Lionel Messi as football’s undisputed king.
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