Ronaldo and Messi: enjoy the show

Comparisons….It’s something we as humans, love to make. It is a natural tendency. No matter where you are from, no matter where you have lived, where you were brought up: You do compare. You compare your earnings with others, who has a better car, who has a better house, phones, watches, etc.

In sports too, such comparisons exist. They are bound to. Be it tennis, cricket, rugby, football, etc. comparisons are rife. We love discussing and arguing over who’s better. Such debates can go on for hours, some are just never ending.

Then there is this one. Just one. One which should not be argued.

Its Ronaldo vs Messi. Who’s better?

It’s a topic that has been fiercely debated for as long as I can remember. It is one that continues to evolve as time passes by. New stats, new incidents, new performances and the new non-performances.

Every time Real Madrid play Barcelona, comparisons between Ronaldo and Messi can be found around the corner. Pre-match, during the match, post-match. There is always an analysis.

On Sunday, they once again came face to face on the same pitch. The season’s first El Clasico. It was billed up to be a BIG game, as so many BIG derbies are, across Europe. It did not disappoint, as some do.

Ronaldo and Messi did not disappoint either. Both ended up on the score sheet. At one point the Ronaldo vs Messi battle seemed to be all that mattered. First Ronaldo, then Messi twice and then Ronaldo again scored the goals in a highly entertaining and fast-paced El Clasico.

While watching the game, I realized one thing though. I realized I was lucky. I realized WE were lucky. To witness two players (can we call them that?) who are surely from another planet, playing football on the same pitch. The amount of goals they score added up to their performance is simply unreal.

Even Pele and Maradona never played against each other or in the same generation.

To be able to see such players play together makes me, in the least, feel very lucky. And what do we do? We fight, crib, and look for mistakes just to get a point over the other.

The best player is a highly subjective question. One, which can never have a DEFINITE answer. So what’s the use in fighting over it?

Why not just enjoy watching Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi do what they do best? Rip defenses apart.

I used to waste my time debating who is better. Now I use my time enjoying them play. Gawking how every week they seem to score goals and think “Damn! Are they playing at amateur level or something?”

That’s how easy they make it look. That’s the amazement, enjoyment and excitement you get when you watch these two play. Yes, they BOTH have done stuff, which may not have been right. That though is just a reminder to us. A reminder, that no matter how in-humane they might seem on the pitch, at the end of the day, they are truly humans. (Yes, it’s TRUE)

So, I would suggest stop arguing over who is better. Just thank your stars you are lucky to see both of them creating magic on the pitch, and enjoy it. Comparisons can only get you so far, but does it give you the joy you get when Messi glides past defenders or the adrenaline rush when Ronaldo scores one of his long-rangers? Think about it.

I am sure I will find many people challenging this opinion, but then what is an opinion, if not challenged?