5 Reasons why Cristiano Ronaldo is better than Lionel Messi 

#3 The desire to prove himself in different competitions

Ronaldo is proving himself at his fourth different club

Cristiano Ronaldo began his professional career at Sporting Lisbon and after a solitary season with the Portuguese side, a transfer to Manchester United followed.

Over the next six years at Old Trafford, Ronaldo played his way into being considered one of the greatest players in Manchester United's history and he was arguably the biggest contributor to the almost unprecedented success enjoyed by the Mancunians in this period.

A world-record transfer to Real Madrid was achieved in 2009 and when he departed the Bernabeu in 2018, there was no debating that he is the greatest player in the illustrious history of the great Spanish side.

A new chapter of his iconic career is being written at Juventus and while he might still have some way to go before achieving legendary status with the Bianconerri, judging by his antecedents, it is not impossible, and if he can inspire the Turin giants to a long-elusive Champions League trophy, he would become an all-time Juventus great.

By contrast, Lionel Messi has spent the entirety of his professional career in the safety of Barcelona and while he is undoubtedly the greatest player in the club's history, there are many who downplay his achievements simply because he has never left the shores of Spain.

History is littered with numerous players who are identified with just one club, Paolo Maldini with AC Milan, Gerd Muller with Bayern Munich, Francesco Totti with AS Roma, and even the greatest of them all, Pele with Santos. Hence, Messi's legacy is not entirely soiled by his failure to depart from Barcelona.

However, the fact that Ronaldo is willing to leave the comforts and safety nets at clubs where he is already established to prove himself all over in foreign lands and cultures is indicative of a deep-rooted survival instinct and this trait places him above Messi.