3 things Cristiano Ronaldo does better than Lionel Messi (and 2 things he doesn't)

The Cristiano Ronaldo - Lionel Messi debate is one that will rage on for eternity. These are two players who have been in a league of their own and were a cut above the rest during their prime years.

Lionel Messi has managed to outdo Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of Ballon d'Or wins, having picked up seven as opposed to the latter who has won five. But Ronaldo has cemented his legacy as the greatest goalscorer in the history of the sport and continues to produce magical moments for his teams regularly.

Trying to figure out who is the better player between the two is a pretty futile exercise at this point. Both players have their own qualities and are unrivaled in a lot of aspects.

On that note, let's take a look at three things Cristiano Ronaldo does better than Messi and two things he can't.

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Three things Cristiano Ronaldo does better than Lionel Messi

#1 Headers

Manchester United v Norwich City - Premier League

Let's start off with an obvious one. Once Cristiano Ronaldo started to lose a yard of pace, he could no longer wreak havoc down the flanks like he used to in his prime. He decided to adapt and evolve into more of a goalscorer and executed that plan to perfection.

One of Ronaldo's main motivators in this regard is his heading ability, which is quite important for a number nine. The Manchester United forward has one of the best leaps in football and he has left us astounded by the sheer height he climbs to meet the ball in the air.

Messi has scored just 24 headed goals in his club career. Ronaldo has scored 105.

#2 Coming up clutch for his teams

Atalanta v Manchester United: Group F - UEFA Champions League

The sheer number of times Cristiano Ronaldo has taken a game by the scruff of its neck and single-handedly won them for his side is simply incredible. His record in the UEFA Champions League reflects his ability to come up clutch and produce moments of magic for his teams.

Let's take some of his performances from this season for example. Ronaldo produced multiple decisive performances and scored several match-winning goals for Manchester United in the Champions League group stages. He has also scored seven match-winning goals in the Premier League this term.

Ronaldo has also scored two hat-tricks in the league this season and both came in games that United won 3-2. His final goal in both those games proved to be the one that got the Red Devils the win.

#3 Penalties

Manchester United v Middlesbrough: The Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 143 penalties in his career. He has missed just 29. At the same time, Lionel Messi has converted 102 from the spot but he has missed 30. The Portuguese legend's penalty conversion rate is 83% while the Argentine's is 77%.

While Messi is pretty dependable from the spot, Ronaldo has just been better.

2 things Cristiano Ronaldo cannot do better than Lionel Messi

#1 Playmaking

Real Madrid v Paris Saint-Germain: Round Of Sixteen Leg Two - UEFA Champions League

Lionel Messi is a product of Barcelona's famed academy 'La Masia'. The Catalans are renowned for producing some of the finest footballers of the modern era. Messi is more of a well-rounded footballer than Ronaldo as his playmaking skills are pretty much on par with his goalscoring ability.

In 805 appearances across all competitions in his club career, Messi has picked up 315 assists. Meanwhile, Ronaldo has provided 231 assists in 929 appearances across all competitions. Ronaldo has always been a bit more of a goalscorer while Messi has excelled at both.

Their stats from this season underscores the same. In 28 appearances across all competitions for Paris Saint-Germain so far this term, Messi has scored eight goals and provided 13 assists. Ronaldo has scored 21 goals and provided just three assists in 35 appearances across all competitions for the Red Devils so far this season.

#2 Free-kicks

Argentina v Brazil - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Qualifier

This is quite an interesting point because Cristiano Ronaldo, during his first stint at Manchester United, had burgeoned into one of the best free-kick takers in the world. He popularized the 'knuckleball' technique and was pretty good at scoring from direct free-kicks even during his early days at Real Madrid.

But Ronaldo's free-kick powers have waned since then. Meanwhile, Lionel Messi added free-kicks to his skillset quite later on in his career. He has since gone on to become one of the best free-kick takers in the world. He possesses immaculate technique and is quite reliable as well.

Between 2009 and 2011, Ronaldo scored 21 direct free-kicks while Messi scored just three. But between 2017 and 2019, Messi scored 23 direct free-kicks while Ronaldo scored just five.

Although Ronaldo does fire one in occasionally these days like he did against Norwich City on March 16, he is unlikely to get better at it than Messi at this stage in his career.