Simply the best?
November 2nd 2010 23:06
Link: twitter.com/mattsaltmer
In 2008, Cristiano Ronaldo won both the World and European Footballer of the year awards. He'd just scored 41 goals in the previous season for Manchester United. He had won the Champions League, FA Cup, and three Premier League titles in the three years previous. And in 2009, he became the most expensive footballer of all time, joining Real Madrid for £82 million. In his first season at Real Madrid, he scored 33 goals in 35 games. December 2009 brought the news that despite all of this, he was no longer the best player in the world, but second to Lionel Messi.
Obviously, Lionel Messi is a phenomena. He himself bagged 45 goals last season for Barcelona, and has won three Spanish League Titles and the Champions League in recent times. The Argentinian playmaker is considered by many, the greatest player of all time. Is it possible that at just 23 (messi) and 25 (Ronaldo) years of age, these two current footballers are the two greatest players ever? It is easy to get carried away when a great player is in action, saying he is the best ever, but these two have genuine arguments. But given the attention Messi receives, I do feel Ronaldo's achievements have been overlooked in recent times.
Messi has begun this season in typically great form once again, netting seven league goals in Barcelona's first nine matches, taking them to second in the league. But he is second in the top scorers list. Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 12 goals in 9 games this season already, and his Real Madrid side are top. This takes the Portugueese star's overall record since joining Real, to 46 goals in 48 games. I feel Ronaldo has every right to feel aggrieved, that many consider him to now be a distant second to Messi, as the world's top player.
Perhaps eventually, who the best player is, will be determined by silverware won by their clubs. Both are obviously the key men, for possibly the world's two biggest sides, Real Madrid and Barcelona. Both are surrounded by huge, world-class stars. So maybe how many trophies won by each club, will be the best way to decide who is better, Messi or Ronaldo. But there are many people who believe that leaving Manchester United is a mistake. Many believe joining Real Madrid is a mistake. And a lot of people believed that Ronaldo moving club when he was the world's best player was a mistake. Well to those doubters, he can simply say, look at my record. Ultimately, it is everyone's personal decision who is better, but whoever is second best, is not a bad player to have in your team!
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