Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are arguably the best soccer players in the world. Some say Ronaldo is the best soccer player while others argue that Messi is the GOAT. Both players have outstanding careers and two writers from the Viking Saga have different opinions on who the greatest of all time really is. Here’s what they had to say.
Ronaldo by Alyssa Sousa
Cristiano Ronaldo has been an extraordinary soccer player since he first started playing in 2002 when he made his debut for the Portuguese club Sporting and scored a goal while Messi’s debut for Barcelona was not memorable.
In over 1,200 professional career appearances Ronaldo has managed to score 906 goals and 268 assists and win 33 senior trophies, including the Champions League, Euro, Golden Boot, Ballon d’Or, and many more.
Ronaldo’s main qualities are his scoring ability, strength, speed, shot power, consistency, headers, etc. but we can hardly say the same for Messi. Ronaldo’s play style is mostly a pure winger attacking the goal and maybe getting a cross in, but mostly, he is the one receiving the ball and scoring off a header or a freekick or penalty – he can do it all.
One of Ronaldo’s best qualities is that he is a better team leader than Messi because he brings his team together and ensures that they are making the best decisions on and off the field. Ronaldo not only is the best on the field but he is an incredible human being making sure that he has no tattoos so he can donate blood while taking care of his health.
Looking at Ronaldo’s style of play is entertaining and magical. It can arguably be said that Ronaldo is the GOAT of soccer!
Messi by Alexa Rincon
Lionel Messi is undoubtedly the best soccer player ever. I applaud Ronaldo for his accomplishments but they are not even comparable to what Messi has done.
Messi has scored 846 goals and had 377 assists since the beginning of his career in 2004; but of course, stats aren’t everything. His technical ability, vision, and passing are more advanced than what Ronaldo can do.
As a midfielder, Messi does exactly what he needs to do and more. He is the playmaker of every team he plays for, connecting passes so easily and always being ready to intercept and/or accept a pass. He doesn’t need to run around the pitch to do his duties, his knowledge of the game is enough.
Along with being a key midfielder, Messi takes shots and finishes as if he were a striker. To look at things from a different aspect, let’s take a look at their peak years. Messi’s prime season was 2011/12 whereas Ronaldo’s was 2014/15. The two players’ stats were similar with only Messi having 2 more goals.
Of course I was too young to appreciate Messi’s prime, but looking back at old gameplay, I can see how talented he really was.
If people were to look past Ronaldo’s good looks and flashy style of play, Messi would 100% be more appreciated by others. For all the reasons stated above, Lionel Messi is the best soccer player in the world by a landslide.
To the Readers
After reading the arguments of these two Viking Saga writers, has your opinion changed on who the best player of all time is, or has it instead strengthened your judgment?