The question on everyone’s mind is, “Can Messi beat Cristiano Ronaldo in the Champions League goal?” The two are very different players in many aspects, including physical attributes and playing styles. They both have the same ability to hit the ball in the air, but Messi is better disciplined and more accurate when finishing close to the net. Here’s a breakdown of their differences.
Messi has more gold than Ronaldo
In comparison, Messi has more trophies and silverware. The Argentine has won 34 trophies with Barcelona, including 10 La Liga titles, six Copa del Rey honors, eight Spanish Super Cups, four Champions Leagues, and three FIFA Club World Cups. By contrast, Ronaldo has won 27 major club trophies in his career. Both Messi and Ronaldo have Olympic gold medals.
As far as the Ballon d’Or goes, however, Messi is still the best in the world. He’s won the Best FIFA Men’s Player award, but he is far from guaranteed the Ballon d’Or. After all, Ronaldo admitted he wasn’t the best player. Maybe that’s changed now. In the end, the two players have the same number of international caps, so Messi’s record may be unjustified.
In terms of major awards, Ronaldo is ahead on the Ballon d’Or, but he trails Messi in the Golden Shoe awards. Messi also won two Ballon d’Ors, while the Juventus forward took home three Golden Shoes. The two of them are tied on five Ballon d’Ors, but Messi leads Ronaldo by a narrow margin in goal scoring. Messi also has four Pichichi Trophies, one more than Ronaldo.
Apart from winning more trophies than Ronaldo, Messi is the better finisher and has more skills than the former Real Madrid superstar. Messi also has more individual honours, including a hatrick against Real Madrid in the 2014 World Cup. And he’s also been nominated for Best Player in the World award four times. But what’s even more impressive is that Messi has more gold than Ronaldo.
However, the comparison is not completely fair, as Ronaldo is far more physically and technically superior to Messi. In terms of athleticism, he has a combination of dizzying pace with explosive shooting ability. And he’s still performing at the same level at his mid-thirties, making him the ideal role model for the next generation of soccer players. If a player has more gold, it’s always a good idea to follow the best players around the world.
Despite being an excellent scorer, Messi is also a great playmaker. With his superb vision and great touch, he is a great leader and inspires his teammates to play better. His assists and key passes are more than double that of Ronaldo, and he also knows how to find free spaces to move around. In addition, he has excellent tactical intelligence, and he makes his teammates better.
Messi is more disciplined
Ronaldo and Messi are often compared in their ability to score goals, but the former is far more disciplined than the latter. Both are technically gifted and have great touches, but Messi has a better understanding of how to read a game’s offensive and defensive plays. Messi is also better at defending the ball, winning it more often than Ronaldo does, and pressing the opposition into making a poor pass. Ronaldo also commits more fouls than Messi per game, and Messi is less likely to be fouled in the process.
Messi’s physicality also makes him the better choice for the captaincy. He has the physical attributes to carry the captaincy, but lacks the self-confidence to assert himself. While many of his teammates are extroverted, Messi is very introverted, and none of them understood why he didn’t speak during a team barbecue. While he is a talented and disciplined player, he rarely displays petulance or frustration.
Both Messi and Ronaldo are hard-charging competitors. Ronaldo has received 9 red cards in his career, while Messi has only one. Both have been sent off numerous times, with Messi being shown just one yellow card. Ronaldo has also been sent off on many occasions, while Messi is a bit more disciplined than Ronaldo. The difference in discipline and temperament between the two players is significant in a game.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi are the top players in the world. Messi stands 1.70 meters, while Ronaldo is nearly two centimeters taller. Their self-discipline is evident, and his muscles are clearly visible. Even in their 30s, they are the thigh of the Barcelona and Argentina team. The difference in their training methods is also evident in their diets. The two players eat similar foods and drink different amounts of water.
Ronaldo is better at finishing close to the net
Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi are the two top scorers in the UEFA Champions League. Both players have scored 79 goals, but Messi is better at finishing close to the net and has averaged more assists. This is an important statistic because it shows the difference between the two players’ overall goal contributions. Messi has scored more goals, but his assist ratio is much lower than Ronaldo’s.
Despite Ronaldo’s greater skill in the area of finishing, Messi is also quicker and more agile. The structure of his body allows him to change pace and direction quickly without losing momentum. That has allowed him to get past several defenders and make numerous assists. In modern football, pace is important and he has far more than Ronaldo. The difference between Ronaldo and Messi is not only their goal-scoring ability, but also their quality of play.
When comparing the two top scorers in the Champions League, Messi has an edge over Ronaldo when it comes to finishing close to the net. Since 2009/10, Messi has completed 565 successful dribbles compared to Ronaldo’s 245. These are interesting statistics, but it is not surprising considering their styles. Ronaldo was a genuine winger before 2009, so his numbers may have been higher.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored 4 goals in the Champions League in 2016, becoming the first player to score back-to-back hat-tricks in the knockout stages of the competition. He also scored three goals against Atletico Madrid in 2017, including two in extra time. Despite being the most prolific player in the competition, his ability to finish close to the goal is his biggest weakness.
Cristiano Ronaldo is the highest goalscorer in the Champions League, with 140 goals. His goal-per-game ratio is 0.77. However, it took him 28 matches to score his first UEFA Champions League goal. Mbappe has yet to win the Champions League silverware, as his French team lost in the final last year. In addition to these two, Ronaldinho scored 45 goals in 65 games.
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored more goals in the Champions League than Messi in a season. While Messi is better at finishing close to the net, he is also quicker. Ronaldo scored more goals for Real Madrid than Messi during the same season. Cristiano Ronaldo has the most goals in a season with Real Madrid. Messi is the only player to score at least 50 goals for the same team in two consecutive seasons.
Both Ronaldo and Messi have scored in the Champions League knockout round. However, his biggest night in this competition is his brace in the 2011 semi-final game against Real Madrid in the Bernabeu. It was arguably the best El Clasico match in recent years, and Messi has claimed his second goal as the best of all time. He dribbled through the Madrid defense and slid the ball past goalkeeper Iker Casillas.
