Messi

Mind people used to say he couldn't do it for Argentina cause he didn't have Xavi etc.

 

I'm a grown man who shouldn't really be bothered about the whole Messi v Ronaldo thing but the reality is, there has never been a credible case for Ronaldo being better than Messi never mind the GOAT. Ronaldo isn't even as gifted as the other Ronaldo and he's certainly nowhere near Maradona. Ridiculous that he's even put in their category at all.

Messi is just a joy to watch on so many levels. It's not just the goals, it's the playmaking, the dribbling, the spatial awareness, the passing, the assists, the movement. He's several levels above. He would have been the GOAT along with Maradona even if he hadn't won today but delighted that today's win nonetheless cements it. A victory for football.

 

There’s never been a credible case?

What, apart from their near identical scoring record and ding-dong battles whilst playing in La Liga?

Messi edges it, but the downplaying of Ronaldo’s ability is laughable.

 

No debate to be had - even prior to him winning the world cup.

Ronaldo is an absolute machine of a goalscorer but Messi - for the past 15 years - has been the best dribbler, best passer, the best or second best goalscorer, incredible free kick taker etc.

He doesn’t just edge it over Ronaldo. It’s clear as day he’s the better player and always has been.

 

Messi doesn't edge it. He blows Ronaldo out the water because as noted above it's not just goalscoring it's everything else.

Ronaldo doesn't have those abilities. That's just a fact.

 

As football players it's never been close though, a lot of worse players have scored the same as better players.

Comparing Ronaldo to Messi is like comparing Edouard to Larsson, it's always been obvious who was the much better player.

 

No it hasn’t, hence why there’s always been such a fierce debate.

 

Theres not really been though, Ronaldo has "fans" but I don't think even they really consider him near Messi they just like him.

 

This is laughable.

Ronaldo has five (5) Ballon d’Ors. The idea that he was never anywhere close to Messi is ludicrous.

The rewriting of history surrounding Messi and Ronaldo is staggering.

 

I agree, Messi is better. What I’m disagreeing with is the notion that Ronaldo has never been close to Messi.

 

It’s done lads. The idiots can finally shut up.

 

They aren't though

 

For me it's just never even been questionable.

I would tolerate people arguing about Xavi, Iniesta, Pirlo, Zidane, Modric whos the best or Henry, Ronaldo, Shevchenko and whoever or Gerrard/Scholes/Lampard. It's all debatable even Makelele, Busquets, Kante, Keane and whoever.

But comparing Cristiano Ronaldo to Messi has never been a thing to me, one is a great goalscorer and one is the most skilled player ever who is an ever better goalscorer.

 

Pretty much how I see it.

Ronaldo is fantastic, but the comparison with Messi honestly flatters him, simply because Messi is so obscenely good.

There’s also a good case for teams that Ronaldo has been part of being less effective with him being part of it. No side in Messi’s career could say the same thing. He makes everyone around him much better.

 

Argentina have a good team but take Messi out and replace him with any other player in the world and they don’t win that World Cup, literally everything they do goes through him and as has been said previously whilst Ronaldo is quite obviously detrimental to his teammates, Messi drags his to a level they couldn’t ordinarily reach.

 

Well, by that logic Ronaldo is the better player, then.

As he’s won everything - bar a World Cup - solely by himself, rather than with the help of his teammates.

Why can’t people just say Messi is better than Ronaldo without the illogical belittling of Ronaldo?