Lionel Messi Vs Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo, a Portuguese footballer and striker for Real Madrid, and Lionel Messi, an Argentinean forward for Barcelona are two of the greatest footballers (soccer players) of our time. Ronaldo is the older of the two, has played in more games and scored more goals than Messi.

Lionel Messi won the Ballon d'Or for three years in a row from 2010 to 2012 but Ronaldo won the award for 2013, having scored 66 goals in 56 appearances for Real Madrid.

EARLY LIFE

Ronaldo was born in Funchal, Madeira, in Portugal, on February 5th 1985. He began playing football at age 8, when he joined amateur youth team Andorinha. In 1995, he signed with the local club Nacional, and was then signed by Sporting CP.

Messi was born in Rosario, Argentina, on June 24th 1987. He started playing football at age 5, when he joined a local club coached by his father. He moved to Newell’s Old Boys in 1995, but at age 11, he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency. The sporting director of FC Barcelona, Carles Rexach, became aware of his talent and gave him a trial with the team, offering to pay his medical bills if he moved to Spain. He moved to Barcelona with his father and enrolled in the club’s youth academy

Playing Style

Ronaldo is a fast striker who scores with his head and both feet.

Messi has a lower center of gravity than most players, allowing him to change direction quickly and evade tackles. He uses short bursts of acceleration on the field and is predominantly a left-footed player. He plays a free attack and a play making role, and is known for his finishing, his pace, dribbling, vision and passing ability.

Records

Ronaldo holds the record for the most goals scored in a season for Real Madrid, the first top European league player to reach 40 goals in a single season for two consecutive years, the fastest Real Madrid Player to reach 100 league goals, and the first player to ever score against every team in a single season in La Liga.

Messi is the first player to score five goals in one UEFA Champions League match. He is the first player to top-score in four consecutive Champions Leagues. He set the world record for the most goals scored in a season in 2011-12, set the current goal scoring record in a single La Liga Season, with 50 goals, and holds the record for the most goals scored per minute in La Liga. He is the youngest Argentine to ever play in the FIFA World Cup and the first player to ever score against all 19 teams consecutively in La Liga.