First contact
Winner : Lionel Messi: 1-0
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We can agree that Cristiano Ronaldo’s first touch is incredible, but Lionel Messi’s is on another level. It is one of the best touches in the history of soccer.
Passes
Lionel Messi winner: 2-0
Once again, Messi wins this round. There is no debate that Ronaldo is not a top notch passer and when he wants to be, he can be one of the best in the world, but Messi’s vision for finding the open man is simply elite. Not only that, but his ability to create chances to get assists and create opportunities for his team is incomparable to anyone in the world.
Positioning
Winner: Ronaldo: 2-1
While Messi’s positioning is an elite skill, no one can compare to Cristiano Ronaldo . There is a reason why the Portuguese scores so many goals: his aerial abilities and general knowledge of the ball’s trajectory are unmatched. That’s why he’s a goal-scoring machine and a formidable offensive threat.
Endurance
Winner: Ronaldo: 2-2
Once again, Ronaldo wins this round for the simple reason that he is one of the most consistent players of all time. We can talk about how great his athleticism is and how it makes him one of the best athletes in the world, but all we can do is focus on 2014 and the year he had to go through injuries and still play. After a season of playing through injury, he continued to play the World Cup and perform very well, which really shows the passion the Portuguese has for the game and the work he is willing to do to be the best in the world.
Dribbles
Winner: Messi: 3-2
Ronaldo’s dribbling is incredible, but no one can argue with the fact that Lionel Messi’s dribbling is unmatched. The Argentine can go 90 minutes without losing the ball, it looks like he uses a stick on his foot, because apparently the ball never leaves his feet unless he decides to, which shows his great dribbling ability
Shoot
Winner: Ronaldo: 3-3
There is no doubt that Messi is one of the best shooters in the game, but Ronaldo is simply on another level and cannot be compared to anyone in history. He is the best finisher in any position on the field. In his prime, his free kicks were unstoppable and his long shots were destined to go in. I think it’s clear that there is no debate that Ronaldo is the best at this skill, probably of all time.
Training
Winner: Ronaldo: 3-4
Real Madrid’s Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo trains at Valdebebas sport city
Ronaldo has made great progress in training after injury (Image: AFP/Getty Images)
Once again, Cristiano Ronaldo is in the mix, as there is no debate about the fact that the man is a machine, that he is currently 36 years old and that he is compared to players in their prime. Many people even call him a robot because Cristiano was not given anything and had to work like crazy to be the best. In no way am I discrediting Messi because he probably worked almost as hard, but Messi is a natural talent, Ronaldo is a product of hard work, which gives him this point.
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