MESSI OR RONALDO – WHO IS TRULY THE BEST?

The Perspective says football is dominated by two giants: Juventus, Real Madrid and Man Utd legend Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona and Paris Saint-German’s Lionel Messi.  

They’ve scooped almost every individual award over the past 15 years, but there can only be one GOAT. So which one comes out on top? The phenomenal Portuguese Ronaldo or the one-team man Lionel Messi?

Team Messi: 

Advanced statistics proves Messi is better

Whilst both have impressive stats, Messi’ stats prove he makes better decisions and, more importantly, brings “greater value to his team.” 

Using a framework that was originally developed for baseball, The Economist rated Messi’s and Ronaldo’s goals based on their context and importance. These stats, called Expected Points Added (EPA), rate goals by their added win probability. Meaning, a winning goal in the last minute of the game is rated higher than the fourth goal scored in a 4-0 win. Messi’s EPA stands at 59.5 while Ronaldo’s is 50.4.

Moreover, Messi makes better decisions. Using a complex algorithm, a company called GoodCall values a player’s decision-making and Efficiency Per Match (EPM). This entails valuing each pass, shot, chance created or dribbled by players, and then rating the player’s decision-making and efficiency. In 2019, Messi’s EPM was 238, and he was making good decisions 0.63% of the time. Meanwhile, Ronaldo’s EPM was 118 and his decision-making rate was standing at that time only at 0.43%.

According to the stats, Messi is also a better team player. He brings the team together, he has more assists and key passes than Ronaldo and uses his “phenomenal vision” to keep his teammates involved. 

Messi and Ronaldo differ mostly in their style. Ronaldo is a machine. He is an explosive player, with abnormal physical abilities and a huge amount of talent. Tall and strong and certainly one of the greatest players, Ronaldo doesn’t possess Messi’s magic.

The Argentine is a greater natural talent. He is a virtuoso, a magician. His dribbling is considered to be the best the game has ever seen, and he passes and shoots the ball with the precision of a brain surgeon. He makes eye-popping moves that leave people speechless and overwhelmed. Seeing him weave his way through a team’s defence and then put the ball past the keeper is just something special.

Team Ronaldo:

Messi has more natural talent but Ronaldo’s combination of physical and technical abilities just make him a better specimen. Ronaldo is harder to push off the ball, he has a combination of dizzying pace, great dribbling and powerful shooting with either foot terrorizes defences.

Ronaldo is a better fit for today’s modern game. His athleticism is second to none, he combines his pace with powerful shooting and jumps like an NBA star. Ronaldo, more than Messi, is the ideal model of the next generation of players. 

Ronaldo or Messi? On one side, Messi is a better team player and simply more talented. On the other hand, Ronaldo is more complete with a better international career. 

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