3 similarities between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi 

For years now, the footballing world has been witness to the greatness of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. While both of them are constantly compared with each other, their games are quite different.

Messi, in his prime, was a dribble, who relies on his low center of gravity and acceleration to get past players. He is said to be one of the greatest dribblers to ever play the game. His body feints and speed with the ball are second to none. He is also a great playmaker and often drags players outside their position to create space for other players.

Cristiano Ronaldo, in his Manchester United days, loved to dribble but relied more on skills and raw speed to get past players. In those days, he was famous for his stepovers, elasticos, chops and other tricks. Over the years, Ronaldo has reduced on the dribbling and become more of a goalscorer. His rocket of a shot along with his ability to be in the right place at the right time is arguably the best in the world.

With such contrasting styles, one wonders why they are constantly compared. That is probably due to the simple fact that both of their respective styles are very effective. They both are, without a doubt, the greatest players of our generation.

There is a famous saying, which goes like, "If an artist created the perfect footballer, it would be Lionel Messi. If an engineer created the perfect footballer, it would be Cristiano Ronaldo."

In this article, we look at where artists and engineers meet. We look at three similarities in Messi and Ronaldo.

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1. Can play in different positions

Ronaldo (left) and Messi shake hands at a Real Madrid v Barcelona - La Liga game

Ronaldo started his career on the left wing and Messi on the right. That is not the positions where they play now though. Both players in their primes, loved moving around and seeing as much of the ball as they can.

Ronaldo has played on the right wing for quite a while. Messi, on the other hand, has moved central and played as a central attacking midfielder for a while. Both players have also played as strikers -- Messi as a false nine and Ronaldo with Benzema.

It is fair to say that both players are very versatile and can adapt to playing in different positions to suit the team.

2. Similar Background

Ronaldo and Messi in action at a FC Barcelona v Real Madrid CF - La Liga game

Both Messi and Ronaldo have really similar backgrounds. Both players come from humble beginnings. They started playing at a very young age and were child prodigies. Both of them were not academically inclined and pursued football as a potential career.

Add to that, both of them faced adversities while playing football. Ronaldo suffered from racing heart disease and Messi from a Growth Hormone disorder. Both of them did not let those problems stop them from becoming the best footballers in the world.

Besides these, they are both also two of the most marketable athletes in the world.

3. Penalty Takers

Messi and Ronaldo shake hands at a FC Barcelona v Real Madrid CF - Liga BBVA game

Ronaldo is often regarded as a great penalty taker. Messi, on the other hand, is regarded as a poor penalty taker. Add to that, it is said that Ronaldo takes far more penalties than Messi.

The stats show that it is actually a lot closer than expected.

As of June 2018, 15.92 percent of Ronaldo's career goals have come from penalties. 13.97% of Messi's career goals have come from penalties. That is a difference of almost 2%.

In La Liga as of June 2018, Messi has a conversion rate of 81.35%. Ronaldo, on the other hand, has a conversion rate of 85.91%.

Ronaldo takes more penalties than Messi and has a better conversion rate, but the difference is not as extreme as most people make it out to be.

(All stats taken from Goal.com.)