#2 Lionel Messi
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Ultimately, I never wanted to distinguish between Ronaldo and Messi – the two are equally as phenomenal in terms of ability and should not be compared, but some criteria positions the Argentinian above the Portuguese superstar.
Lionel Messi is two years younger than Ronaldo and at just 29-years of age, has achieved everything in the game he possibly could’ve done with the exception being the World Cup. His Argentina team finished unfortunate runners-up to Germany in 2014 in a tournament where Messi was named the best player.
The king of Catalonia, Messi has won four UEFA Champions Leagues, eight La Liga titles, as well as an incredible five Ballon D’Ors, more than any other player in the history of the game. He is often criticised for his one-club man attitude for showing a lack of ambition but try telling that to the man who is the club’s all-time top goalscorer, shattering the previous record.
There are few individuals who inflict as much damage in the final third, meanwhile contributing so much to the team in terms of assists and passing further back. Messi shows improvement year-on-year in every department of his game and last year scored 32 league goals, taking his total goal tally at Barcelona to 475 goals in official competitions.
The Argentinian is blessed with a natural ability to control and strike the ball. While Johann Cruyff dubs Messi “incomparable”, Pep Guardiola claims “don’t write about him, don’t try to describe him. Just watch him”. Sorry Pep.
