5 things Cristiano Ronaldo does better than Lionel Messi

#1 Goal-scoring exploits

Ronaldo outclasses Messi on many goal-scoring fronts

A reason why Ronaldo can be deemed as the greatest of all time is his all-around abilities. It's not only his gigantic count of goals worth appreciating, but also the different manners in which he has scored them.

First, let's have a look at their overall amount of goals, where Ronaldo trumps his rival with the better amount.

Ronaldo - 616 career goals

Messi - 584 career goals

Penalties: When it comes to striking the ball from 12 yards, hardly anyone matches the ferocity of Cristiano Ronaldo. In comparison to the Barca no.10, the Real Madrid talisman has scored 104 out of 126 penalties he has attempted to date.

That measures up to a conversion rate of 82.53%. The Argentinian has netted 80 out of 102 attempts from the spot, with a conversion rate of 78.43%.

Free-kicks: Many of you would argue over this point, considering Ronaldo's diminishing threat from set-pieces in the recent years.

However, he outclasses his arch-rival in the total amount of free-kicks scored. Ronaldo has 51 under his belt, while Messi counts up to 34 free-kick goals. Clearly, Messi has a long way to go to provide Ronaldo with good competition in set-pieces.

Headers: Hands down, the Barca forward just doesn't compare to the mighty forward in this area. Ronaldo's supreme physique easily eclipses the diminutive Argentinian at this stage. His aerial ability has seen him bag a total of 107 headed goals throughout his career. Messi is no way near Cristiano, with a tame 24 headers to his credit.

Weak-foot ability: Since his emergence as one of the sport's greatest players, Ronaldo has earned wide recognition for his aptness with both feet. The right-footed forward has scored 111 goals from his weaker foot, which accounts for 18.02% of his total goal tally in his career.

Left-footed Lionel Messi has netted 78 times with his right, which sums up to 13.36% of his overall goal count.