Real Madrid vs Barcelona: 5 reasons why Cristiano Ronaldo will outshine Lionel Messi in this El Clasico

#5 Their teams

Zinedine Zidane has yet to lost an El Clasico game as manager

No matter how much we worship at the altar of the individual, football remains a team sport. Ronaldo and Messi have vied for the Ballon d’Or in recent times, but the two take greater pleasure from the victories of their teams. This is where Ronaldo has a clear advantage.

Real Madrid have been the better team this season – the table doesn’t lie. Zinedine Zidane’s side have managed to score in 55 consecutive games, and it is unlikely that Barcelona’s porous defence will stop Ronaldo from scoring. Karim Benzema’s style of play perfectly complements Cristiano Ronaldo, which should favour the Portuguese star tonight.

Lionel Messi has been more sacrificial of late, but it’s not working for Barcelona. Neymar has contributed the most to Messi’s goal tally this season, but the Brazilian is absent tonight. Luis Suarez’ movement usually creates space for the Argentine wizard, but he has been uncharacteristically quiet of late. With the rest of the Blaugrana misfiring, it’ll be much harder for Messi to have an impact on El Clasico tonight.