Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi 2016 [POLL]: Who is the Best Footballer in the World? Real Madrid, FC Barcelona Forwards' Stats & Records
The Cristiano Ronaldo versus Lionel Messi debate divided football fans for several years now. Brazil icon Pele recently fueled the widely discussed topic after he named the FC Barcelona forward as the better football player than the Real Madrid captain. Did Pele make the right choice?
Messi vs Ronaldo
According to Metro, Pele spoke at a Q&A session in Glasgow and ended the longest running debate by picking Messi over Ronaldo as the best footballer in the world. The 75-year-old legend, who is popularly regarded as the greatest football player of all time, stated that Messi's incredible statistics and feats in the past years placed him ahead of Ronaldo.
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The three-time World Cup winner acknowledged that Ronaldo is a better goalscorer than the FC Barcelona forward. However, he pointed out that Messi has an edge because he is a rounded player who is more organized. He stressed that the 29-year-old Argentine football superstar has been the most consistent player in the past 10 to 15 years.
Pele also recognized that Ronaldo won the Champions League and Euro 2016 last season, however he remained undeterred over his choice of the superior player. He opined that being a good goalscorer does not make the 31-year-old Portuguese a better player than Messi who showcases consistency throughout the years.
Stats & Records Comparison
The Ronaldo-Messi rivalry intensified throughout the years not only for individual titles but also for leading their clubs and national teams to glory. The two football superstars dominated the FIFA Ballon d'Or – World Player of the Year prize since 2008. As of press time, Messi won five trophies while Ronaldo got three.
Messi is two years younger but he has a superior goal to game ratio than Ronaldo. According to the side by side comparison by Total Sportek, Messi made 511 goals and 217 assists in 648 games of his professional football career. On the other hand, Ronaldo recorded 548 goals and 183 assists in 804 game appearances.
Messi obtained a better goal to game ratio of 0.83 matches to score one goal. On the other hand, Ronaldo trailed closely with 0.68. When it comes to their overall Champions League performance, it is almost similar but Messi has a slight edge with 0.86 compared to Ronaldo's 0.63. Messi is also the highest goal scorer in the history of the Champions League with Ronaldo settling on the second spot.
Poll: Who is the better footballer?
Do you agree with Pele? Who is the best footballer in the world: Messi or Ronaldo? Join our poll below.
