⚽ FIFA World Cup 2030: Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay ⚽

[Sim_card]

I believe that Messi is truly a phenomenon without equal, but i also believe that there is no Messi without Ronaldo and that the two without wanting to have created an unprecedented epic challenge, constantly stimulating each other, which is why i don't feel like saying who is the best and that Messi is better than Ronaldo, they are both great.

There's no need to compare both of them because they're playing different role on the pitch. Ronaldo is good at scoring goals than Messi while, Messi is more of a play maker than Ronaldo and we have seen this in their various achievements. Ronaldo has scored the highest goals so far, in the history of football and Messi have won all the competitions including world cup. Though, Ronaldo is richer than Messi.

[Uhde]

I believe that Messi is truly a phenomenon without equal, but i also believe that there is no Messi without Ronaldo and that the two without wanting to have created an unprecedented epic challenge, constantly stimulating each other, which is why i don't feel like saying who is the best and that Messi is better than Ronaldo, they are both great.

There's no need to compare both of them because they're playing different role on the pitch. Ronaldo is good at scoring goals than Messi while, Messi is more of a play maker than Ronaldo and we have seen this in their various achievements. Ronaldo has scored the highest goals so far, in the history of football and Messi have won all the competitions including world cup. Though, Ronaldo is richer than Messi.

i recently watched one of Cristiano Ronaldo's matches in the Saudi Arabian league and it caught my attention how completely empty the stands were... there were barely 5,000 to 6,000 spectators in the stadium, tops.
on the other hand, every match Messi plays in MLS is sold out... even tickets for away games are gone months in advance when Miami plays on the road. and ticket prices jump to 4 or 5 times their normal price for games Messi plays in.

[Berry2d]

I believe that Messi is truly a phenomenon without equal, but i also believe that there is no Messi without Ronaldo and that the two without wanting to have created an unprecedented epic challenge, constantly stimulating each other, which is why i don't feel like saying who is the best and that Messi is better than Ronaldo, they are both great.

There's no need to compare both of them because they're playing different role on the pitch. Ronaldo is good at scoring goals than Messi while, Messi is more of a play maker than Ronaldo and we have seen this in their various achievements. Ronaldo has scored the highest goals so far, in the history of football and Messi have won all the competitions including world cup. Though, Ronaldo is richer than Messi.

Apart this reasons listed above,  I think messi has an inbuilt talent that speaks for him in all rectification while Ronaldo is a player that made himself who he is through relentless hardwork and dedication.
Both players appears to be the best competitors in the football world and will be very difficult finding their replacement in as much as football is consigned.  Its of know use or importance saying any among them is the best because both has in one way or the other what the other do not have when we talk about football records.  
Honestly speaking the world of football will miss both players if they decide to retire any time soon.

[EL MOHA]

Apart this reasons listed above,  I think messi has an inbuilt talent that speaks for him in all rectification while Ronaldo is a player that made himself who he is through relentless hardwork and dedication.
Both players appears to be the best competitors in the football world and will be very difficult finding their replacement in as much as football is consigned.  Its of know use or importance saying any among them is the best because both has in one way or the other what the other do not have when we talk about football records.  
Honestly speaking the world of football will miss both players if they decide to retire any time soon.

Since 2007 we have been on this debate of who is better and who is not, almost 20 years in now and everyone isn’t tired yet, I think this comparison is just so boring but aside that I think this comparison in my opinion has actually been more of an insult to both players than comparison because in the context of crediting one of the player we are disrespecting the other one.

Just as you have said that Ronaldo is self built and Messi is talented I think both is an insult to both players because let’s look at it like this,; does this means that Ronaldo doesn’t have a talent? I don’t think he would have made it this far without one, we all know how he was signed by Manchester United in his early days due to his talent so what are we saying. Then we have the lie about Messi not been dedicated, do people not see how this man (Messi) puts in more extra trainings with even private trainers? Even if he is so talented, talent can never bring his this far alone, if not how many players have he that talent and they didn’t make it as a great players due to lack of dedication?

[samadam007]

i recently watched one of Cristiano Ronaldo's matches in the Saudi Arabian league and it caught my attention how completely empty the stands were... there were barely 5,000 to 6,000 spectators in the stadium, tops.
on the other hand, every match Messi plays in MLS is sold out... even tickets for away games are gone months in advance when Miami plays on the road. and ticket prices jump to 4 or 5 times their normal price for games Messi plays in.

You fans are the problem. So you want to compare US population to that of Saudi Arabia? I don't even want to start unnecessary comparison. But the truth is that many of us started watching Saudi league because of CR7. Before he went there, how many people outside Saudi were following the league back to back? Be truthful? His presence there brought crazy media attention to the league and made more people around the world interested in it.

There are obvious reasons why Messi matches in MLS attracts more people. The US has more bigger population and entertainment market. If you notice, MLS teams always make use of big capacity stadiums.

Instead of always trying to use every little thing to judge who is better, we should just enjoy both of them while we still can. They have given football fans enough memories already and be missed when they finally retire.

[Dogedegen]

i recently watched one of Cristiano Ronaldo's matches in the Saudi Arabian league and it caught my attention how completely empty the stands were... there were barely 5,000 to 6,000 spectators in the stadium, tops.
on the other hand, every match Messi plays in MLS is sold out... even tickets for away games are gone months in advance when Miami plays on the road. and ticket prices jump to 4 or 5 times their normal price for games Messi plays in.

You fans are the problem. So you want to compare US population to that of Saudi Arabia? I don't even want to start unnecessary comparison. But the truth is that many of us started watching Saudi league because of CR7. Before he went there, how many people outside Saudi were following the league back to back? Be truthful? His presence there brought crazy media attention to the league and made more people around the world interested in it.

There are obvious reasons why Messi matches in MLS attracts more people. The US has more bigger population and entertainment market. If you notice, MLS teams always make use of big capacity stadiums.

Instead of always trying to use every little thing to judge who is better, we should just enjoy both of them while we still can. They have given football fans enough memories already and be missed when they finally retire.

I always wonder why users make this kind of false comparisons, even if they are not fans. It is very easy to figure out what is wrong with the comparison, and these days we have all kinds of tools that we can ask to check if the comparison makes sense. To get some comparison that is going to be a bit better we would have to bring Ronaldo to the same match at the same location where Messi plays, so we would be keeping the population, location and many other variables equal. Even that would not be a perfect comparison that could give a definite conclusion, but at least we would see that the numbers would get much closer than what are being provided by this user. I am not a fan of either of these players, but we have to be rational and use proper analysis to tell the truth about things. Entertainment industry in the US is huge.

[Ale88]

i recently watched one of Cristiano Ronaldo's matches in the Saudi Arabian league and it caught my attention how completely empty the stands were... there were barely 5,000 to 6,000 spectators in the stadium, tops.
on the other hand, every match Messi plays in MLS is sold out... even tickets for away games are gone months in advance when Miami plays on the road. and ticket prices jump to 4 or 5 times their normal price for games Messi plays in.

You fans are the problem. So you want to compare US population to that of Saudi Arabia? I don't even want to start unnecessary comparison. But the truth is that many of us started watching Saudi league because of CR7. Before he went there, how many people outside Saudi were following the league back to back? Be truthful? His presence there brought crazy media attention to the league and made more people around the world interested in it.

There are obvious reasons why Messi matches in MLS attracts more people. The US has more bigger population and entertainment market. If you notice, MLS teams always make use of big capacity stadiums.

Instead of always trying to use every little thing to judge who is better, we should just enjoy both of them while we still can. They have given football fans enough memories already and be missed when they finally retire.

I don't see what the number of people have to do with this: it's all about the culture and what people care about. In Saudi Arabia basically almost nobody cares about football because it's not a relevant sport for them. Messi plays in Miami, a city with a huge Argentinian population and many other Latinos, people who live and breathe football.

You said "many of us started watching Saudi league because of CR7", I guess it depends where you're from because people in Europe couldn't care less about Ronaldo and the Saudi league. Sure, there's been a lot of talking and curiosity after he moved there but then it faded out. There are plenty of good matches to watch, way better than the Saudi League.

[Saltysugar99]

i recently watched one of Cristiano Ronaldo's matches in the Saudi Arabian league and it caught my attention how completely empty the stands were... there were barely 5,000 to 6,000 spectators in the stadium, tops.
on the other hand, every match Messi plays in MLS is sold out... even tickets for away games are gone months in advance when Miami plays on the road. and ticket prices jump to 4 or 5 times their normal price for games Messi plays in.

The current frenzy surrounding Messi may not have happened to any player in the past. And perhaps all the spectators go to watch the game to see Messi's extraordinary performance for Miami too, so all the tickets are sold out. Messi will play his last match for Argentina. I saw this on several news portals, where despite the high ticket pricing for that match, there has been a huge demand. Especially the spectators want to witness Messi's last match from the stadium. It is a matter of pride for them. And Messi has not only performed well. He has created an emotional attachment with his fans all over the world, including his country. That is why just as people all over the world watched that match in the FIFA World Cup final, the entire world will be paying attention to Messi's last match for Argentina.

[bastisisca]

That is very correct, ronaldo had come really close to messi and they both had a great rivalry but after his move to juventus the difference between messi and him has been increasing further and further, messi has kept performing more irrespective of  league, club or nation and has shocked many minds. He has upheld his quality even in this age and Ronaldo at the other emd has been in the delusion till now that he is better than messi at some extent but that isnt the case and messi is way ahead than ronaldo.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. That doesn't mean it's correct. After his move to Juventus, Ronaldo simply demonstrated that wherever he goes, he's destined to win. Messi has always been at Barcelona, and when he changed teams to Paris, it was clear he disappointed greatly, having won nothing with Neymar and Mbappé on his team. Meanwhile, Ronaldo, with a team that was probably one of the worst Juventus teams in recent years, still managed to win two league titles and top scorer titles in a league he'd never played in.

[m4r1o]

Messi vs Ronaldo debate is a lifelong debate for those of us who experienced both players in their prime, and now age has started catching up until their retirement. The truth about the debate, we know who the best player is, but everyone has their favorite, very sentimental not to acknowledge who the greatest is, we know, but choose to have our favorite because of certain attributes.

I just think they are two phenomenal players, with completely opposite characteristics, who both deserve the title of GOAT for having shared the stage for twenty years and who have only been separated by journalists and off-field staff, because they are two players who deserve every respect and deserve to be recognized as the two true GOATs of this sport.

[giorgione]

Honestly, I ca not say who is better than the other.... Ronaldo is a player who built a very consistent career, was the best player for a many years, but Messi surprised the world in recent years... they are different styles of "football stars", but what nobody can deny is that they created a statistical and symbolic standard that another player will hardly be able to repeat.... deciding games in huge matches, exceptional longevity and far above average for football and an almost absurd yearly consistency.

I once read someone post here that "good players" is becoming extinct (sorry, I looked for it but could npt find who said), but I disagree... I think that in fact the development of good players will bring us many surprises soon and my main picks for this are to keep an eye on youth players from Benfica, Barcelona, River Plate, Ajax, Boca Juniors and Sporting.
I would bet in Brazil too, but despite us having good talents here, unfortunately they do npt get the oportunities they deserve.

You keep saying you don't know, but you keep favoring Messi.
I don't think so at all, because Messi was certainly pure talent, and that's undeniable. But Ronaldo, for his part, was talented, he sacrificed his life for this sport, continuing to train his body and mind to be the best. He achieved every kind of record, broke records, and was a great player on every team he played for.

[martinom]

Both are great players in their own way, and they have made tremendous achievements in the world of football that we won't forget.
On that note, let's applaud them for staying fit all these years and showing us what good football can be, for a footballer who carries the weight of his teammates on his shoulders to give them a match victory

They're two formidable players who take all the pressure off their teammates, knowing they're the center of attention. I think this lightens the team's load, but at the same time, it makes them more susceptible and puts them in a position to give their all, having champions like them to play with.

[Uhde]

i recently watched one of Cristiano Ronaldo's matches in the Saudi Arabian league and it caught my attention how completely empty the stands were... there were barely 5,000 to 6,000 spectators in the stadium, tops.
on the other hand, every match Messi plays in MLS is sold out... even tickets for away games are gone months in advance when Miami plays on the road. and ticket prices jump to 4 or 5 times their normal price for games Messi plays in.

You fans are the problem. So you want to compare US population to that of Saudi Arabia? I don't even want to start unnecessary comparison. But the truth is that many of us started watching Saudi league because of CR7. Before he went there, how many people outside Saudi were following the league back to back? Be truthful? His presence there brought crazy media attention to the league and made more people around the world interested in it.

There are obvious reasons why Messi matches in MLS attracts more people. The US has more bigger population and entertainment market. If you notice, MLS teams always make use of big capacity stadiums.

Instead of always trying to use every little thing to judge who is better, we should just enjoy both of them while we still can. They have given football fans enough memories already and be missed when they finally retire.

man i am comparing the impact of Ronaldo and Messi on stadium attendance figures... for example, last week they played against Chicago Fire in Chicago and there were 63,000 spectators in the stands. this turned out to be an all time attendance record for the Chicago Fire. Chicago generated nearly $10 million in revenue from this match, which is equal to the total revenue the team had earned from all its other matches since the beginning of the season...
next week, they will face Columbus in an away game in Ohio and average ticket price is $200 - 300 but still almost all tickets are sold out...

[changaa]

There is nothing controversial about Messi and Ronaldo because both are the best players. You may be a supporter of another team but you can never deny Messi and Ronaldo as the best players and you can never deny that their game is interesting and takes a place in everyone's heart no matter which team you support. For me Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar, Mbappe, Lamine Yamal, they are all the best players I enjoy their game beautifully. So I don't look at any player with disrespect I look at everyone with respect and I enjoy everyone's game beautifully.

This would be the right way to look at football, without pointing fingers at who's better or worse, simply appreciating their intrinsic qualities and enjoying them for as long as they play. Obviously, this applies to every player, especially those who have left an indelible mark on the sport.

[BluebloodCXVI]

I don't see what the number of people have to do with this: it's all about the culture and what people care about. In Saudi Arabia basically almost nobody cares about football because it's not a relevant sport for them. Messi plays in Miami, a city with a huge Argentinian population and many other Latinos, people who live and breathe football.

You said "many of us started watching Saudi league because of CR7", I guess it depends where you're from because people in Europe couldn't care less about Ronaldo and the Saudi league. Sure, there's been a lot of talking and curiosity after he moved there but then it faded out. There are plenty of good matches to watch, way better than the Saudi League.

If you don’t like CR7 just say it and stop hiding behind your baseless claims that “people in Europe could care less about Ronaldo” or that “people’s interest in the Saudi pro league dropped after the initial hype”, those are your personal opinions not a generalized fact and you’re certainly not a spokesperson for the majority of the population of folks in Europe so your statement don’t really hold water IMO.

There are certainly better leagues than the Saudi pro league but there’s no denying that Cristiano arrival there created a ripple effect and increased the relevance of the league; I personally know a lot of folks that started to pay attention to the SPL and their sole reason is because CR7 is there.

Ronaldo didn’t just merely bring European/foreign attention to Saudi football alone; there is evidence that his arrival also stimulated interest of the people and citizens within Saudi Arabia itself regardless of the fact that they were not really infused into the football culture like the Argentines and Latinos that you mentioned.

There are stats and evidence that supports all this that i have said, perhaps you should look into them before commenting.

[danadc]

Indeed, it is a unique trophy that is given to the player for his performance.
I don't believe, as Mbappé reported, that credit should be given to those who win more competitions, because players like Haaland, who perhaps has more difficulty getting results with the national team, will never win the Ballon d'Or, despite being a player who would greatly deserve it. Therefore the player should be rewarded for what he does and not for what he achieves.

Well, if it's Sai, in the World Cup, Kane and Mbappe did a very good job. I didn't see any other player stand out. Currently, Lamine and Raphinha are the most prominent, and Mbappe is right up there. If it continues on this path, it should be Mbappe, who finished as top scorer and is still scoring goals.

The journalists are the ones who decide; they're the only ones who set the criteria. Messi is someone who also stood out, but because of his own fame. He might beat them in terms of marketing and what he generates.

[cande86]

Both are very good players. And there is no need to criticize them according to their overall condition. But if we talk about comparisons, then it was  until he won the Copa America  and World Cup. But it is impossible to imagine Messi performing like this with his talent at the last moment of his career. Now Messi has taken his position to such a level that there is no one else as his rival. Ronaldo and Messi were very close at one time. But in the last few years, Ronaldo's performance has deteriorated a lot. And at a time when Messi has strengthened his position even more. Now Messi has retired from the national team. He has retired from the national team at the best time of his career. Where we have seen many players in the past, the moment their ability and skills decrease and their performance drops, they would retire from playing football at a certain age. But Messi is completely different. He is considered the best performer at any time, whether it is in the past, present or as long as he is in football, at some point in the future. So there is no comparison with Messi at the moment.

I truly can't understand how people can make these comparisons. They are literally two legends who have experienced different things, and they can't be compared. Messi played in a World Cup with an Argentina team that faced decidedly more favorable matches than Portugal, just as in the league, Al-Nasr has a 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo who hasn't made any summer transfers, while Messi's Inter Miami has bought literally every player Messi himself requested. So these are comparisons that can't be made.

[verdinio]

Vinicus Junior, Bruno and Joaa Neves has been elected although they haven't even delivered the performance which Raphina spotted but still they didn't draged Raphina in Balloon d'Or nominations. Honestly I bit confused that why they didn't took Raphina. We should need to ask a question about Raphina like FIFA need to explain the decision. I mean why they drop out Raphina.

While I don't personally consider Rafinha a player I like, I have to be honest, from a  sporting perspective, he's a player who has shown his talent and certainly deserved a Ballon d'Or nod, and certainly deserves it much more than other players. Indeed, this shows how this award has become merely a publicity stunt and not a true achievement.

[Charcol]

I don't see what the number of people have to do with this: it's all about the culture and what people care about. In Saudi Arabia basically almost nobody cares about football because it's not a relevant sport for them. Messi plays in Miami, a city with a huge Argentinian population and many other Latinos, people who live and breathe football.

You said "many of us started watching Saudi league because of CR7", I guess it depends where you're from because people in Europe couldn't care less about Ronaldo and the Saudi league. Sure, there's been a lot of talking and curiosity after he moved there but then it faded out. There are plenty of good matches to watch, way better than the Saudi League.

I knew that when big club matches like Al-Nassr are held, there are always a lot of spectators. So how can you say that no one in Saudi Arabia is interested in football?I think it is difficult to judge the football interest of the whole country just because one of Ronaldo's matches had a low attendance. I am not saying that I am completely right. But I told you what I knew.

Speaking of Messi, of course, his influence in MLS is quite significant. Especially Inter Miami's high attendance, ticket demand and overall attention are all visible.

[sergiorus]

I don't see what the number of people have to do with this: it's all about the culture and what people care about. In Saudi Arabia basically almost nobody cares about football because it's not a relevant sport for them. Messi plays in Miami, a city with a huge Argentinian population and many other Latinos, people who live and breathe football.

You said "many of us started watching Saudi league because of CR7", I guess it depends where you're from because people in Europe couldn't care less about Ronaldo and the Saudi league. Sure, there's been a lot of talking and curiosity after he moved there but then it faded out. There are plenty of good matches to watch, way better than the Saudi League.

Speaking of Messi, of course, his influence in MLS is quite significant. Especially Inter Miami's high attendance, ticket demand and overall attention are all visible.

Interest in football and attendance in MLS had been soaring for years before that. Basically since Beckham times.

If Cristiano went to America instead of Saudi Arabia, the effect would have been the same.

One must realise that the USA is a much bigger and wealthier market, then Saudi Arabia, especially a sports entertainment market.