Lionel Messi Vs. Cristiano Ronaldo
Goal Scoring
MESSI 10/10
It seems as if Lionel Messi breaks a goalscoring record every other week, such is his mindblowing knack for finding the back of the net. Last season, he became Barcelona's all time leading scorer at the age of 24 AND broke Gerd Muller's 39 year old record for the most goals scored in a single European season (73). Astonishing.
He is simply one of the greatest goalscorers of all time and will no doubt set even more practically unbreakable records throughout his career.
RONALDO 10/10
Remarkably, Ronaldo tends to match Messi's ability to find the back of the net and can also be considered as one of the greatest goalscorers of all time.
He has netted 7 league hat-tricks in each of the last 2 seasons and in the season just gone, he [along with Messi] surpassed the highest number of goals scored in a single La Liga season with games to spare. However, Messi ultimately won the battle to set the new record, with 50 league goals to Ronaldo's 46.
HEADING
MESSI 7/10
Heading is one of the few aspects of Messi's game that is probably not widely considered as being a world class attribute; not surprising considering his lack of height.
He is far from poor with his head though and chances are he will punish you if he's presented with a decent heading opporunity. Many will remember he famously headed his team into a 2 goal lead against Man Utd in the 2009 Champions League final.
RONALDO 9/10
For someone with such elegant skills and technique on the ground, Ronaldo can leap and power his head through the ball like a League Two centre back, with many of his countless goals coming via his noggin.
The fact that Ronaldo towers over the much smaller Messi makes it no surprise that he is far more effective with his head.
FREE KICKS
MESSI 9/10
Messi's vision and creativity with a dead ball is what sets him apart from most free-kick specialists. His ability to identify a spot and a route to that spot that eludes all opposing players in his way is simply pure class.
He perhaps lacks the force that Ronaldo can get behind a dead ball, but it's the finesse that makes his free-kicks special.
RONALDO 9/10
Ronaldo's combination of sheer power and ability to make a ball move in all manner of directions place him amongst the most feared dead ball specialists.
However, such is the power he attampts to pile into his free-kick attempts, a large percentage often strike the wall or sail over the bar.
PENALTIES
MESSI 8/10
Messi's overall penalty record can almost only be considered average, having scored 20 from 27 as of February 2012.
Last season though, 14 of his total of 73 came from the penalty spot. However, he did fail with a few of his attempts, most notably against Chelsea in the Champions League semi-final which would have given his side an aggregate lead in the tie.
Similarly to free-kicks, Messi probably lacks the power that Ronaldo can put into his spot kicks, which can be even more effective from 12 yards out.
RONALDO 9/10
Ronaldo on the other hand has an unrivalled record from the penalty spot. As of February 2012, he had scored 23 from 24 penalties for Real, which is nothing short of incredible.
Last season was a similar stoty for CR7; however, the one blemish on his otherwise spotless record came in a crucial Champions League semi-final penalty shoot-out against Bayern Munich.
SKILL AND TECHNIQUE
MESSI 10/10
Messi has a near perfect combination of technique, speed, balance and intelligence which give him the uncanny ability to sprint into a crowd of players and come out the other side with the ball still at his feet and in complete control.
Whilst Messi isn't the fastest of sprinters, the speed at which his feet can move can seem almost impossible and combined with his abundance of skill, can often create the illusion that the ball is just glued to his feet.
RONALDO 8/10
Ronaldo is king of the step-over and has plenty more tricks up his sleeve that, with the help of his lightning pace, can take him past defenders as if they weren't there.
Whilst Ronaldo's skill and technique cannot be questioned, he can be guilty of one step-over too many or a bit of flamboyance & showmanship that wasn't really necessary; sometimes costing his team possession.
PHYSICALITY
MESSI 7/10
At 5 foot 7 inches, Messi isn't the tallest of guys and in his younger days, was in real danger of being overlooked (quite literally) due to his slight build and lack of physical prowess.
Luckily (for him and for us), his breathtaking, natural talent shone through. And his size can be quite deceptive! He is perfectly capable of holding his own against his larger opponents and can pack some serious power behind his shots.
RONALDO 9/10
Physically, Ronaldo is as close to perfection as it gets for the modern day footballer. At 6 foot 2, he's got the height and with the help of his impecible physique, he has the strength of an ox.
Where Messi has the edge with skill & technique, Ronaldo makes up for with strength and speed.
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