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Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are undoubtedly two of the greatest footballers of all time. No other players have dominated the sport and gone neck-to-neck for records for over a decade in the history of the game.
Both players differ in their styles and attributes. Despite starting out as wingers, their styles of play are quite different from each other. Cristiano Ronaldo's hunger to prove himself has enabled him to win league titles in three different countries.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi's unwavering loyalty to Barcelona has made him arguably the greatest player to have donned their storied red and blue kit. Lionel Messi has won a record six Ballons d'Or and Cristiano Ronaldo is right behind him with five.
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Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo continue to deliver despite walking into the twilight of their careers
Both players continue to be on top of their games. While Messi won the La Liga Golden Boot in the 2020-21 season, Ronaldo won the Serie A Golden Boot. The Argentina international won the Golden Boot and the Best Player Award at Copa America 2021. Ronaldo won the Golden Boot at Euro 2020.
As we can see, there is very little to choose between the two players. Without further ado, let's take a look at five things Lionel Messi does better than Cristiano Ronaldo.
#5 Discipline
Lionel Messi has a much better track record than Cristiano Ronaldo when it comes to discipline. The Portuguese international has always shown a lot of aggression and he has made a career out of channeling it in the right way.
But it's not very rare to see Ronaldo lose his cool on a football pitch. Ronaldo doesn't like being pushed around on the football field and he gives it back without much care for the consequences. That shows a lack of discipline.
On the other hand, Messi gets kicked about in games far too often. Defenders often try to bully him physically but more often than not, Messi manages to keep his composure.
In total, Lionel Messi has picked up just three red cards and all three of them have been straight reds. On the other hand, Cristiano Ronaldo has been sent off 11 times. Seven of those have been straight reds.
#4 Long range shooting
Both Ronaldo and Messi are similar when it comes to their chance conversion inside the area. But when it comes to testing the goalkeeper from range, the Argentine is simply much better than his Portuguese counterpart.
Messi has scored 75 goals from outside the box while Ronaldo has scored just 57. The Barcelona man averages one long ranger every 12.4 games while the Juventus forward averages one every 18.8 games.
#3 Playmaking
Lionel Messi's playmaking skills are much better than that of Cristiano Ronaldo's. Messi is a product of Barcelona's famed youth academy, La Masia. As a result, he has all the attributes one would expect from a great Barcelona player.
He has also been able to play with some of the best technicians in the game. Messi used to share the pitch with the likes of Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Luis Suarez and Neymar Jr. not long back.
Messi has the ability to complement the styles of those around him. He also has an eye for a pass and his passing range is second to none. This has enabled Messi to always keep his playmaking skills at par with his goalscoring.
In 894 official matches in his club career, Ronaldo has provided 229 assists. That almost pales in comparison to Lionel Messi's 305 from 778 games.
#2 Freekicks
This is quite an interesting point because Lionel Messi wasn't much of a free-kick taker in the first half of his career. In the recently concluded Copa America, Messi scored his 57th career free-kick. In doing so, he overtook Cristiano Ronaldo's haul of 56 free-kicks.
Ronaldo and Messi's free-kick techniques are completely different. While the former goes for power, swerve and dip, Messi's free-kicks are more about precision and swing. In recent years, the Argentine international has evolved into the best free-kick taker in the business.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo's free-kick taking powers seem to have waned in recent years and he is no longer considered a very reliable free-kick taker.
#1 Dribbling
Dribbling continues to be one of Lionel Messi's strongsuits. He continues to be incredible at taking players on and beating them. Messi's dribbling has always stood out thanks to his immaculate control over the ball and the ability to take nimble touches on the ball. It often feels like the ball is glued to his feet.
When Cristiano Ronaldo first started making waves, he was famous for his quick feet and trickery. But over the course of time, Ronaldo has lost a yard of pace. Even though he is still extremely reliable with the ball at his feet, he is not as prolific at taking players on and beating them like he used to be.
Since 2014, Ronaldo has averaged less than two dribbles a game. Messi continues to average more than four dribbles per game. During his time at Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson, Ronaldo averaged a little more than four dribbles per game.
At the same time, Messi was playing under Pep Guardiola and he used to average just short of 9 dribbles per game.
