10 - Lionel Messi - v5

Because Messi is held to a whole different standard. The comparison has been a lie since 2009 that people justify because the narrative is ubiquitous. It's firmly constructed inside the head of every football fan that these two are the two best players and whoever you prefer among them depends on your personal bias. The status quo is firmly anchored. Messi can be three times the player Ronaldo is for the better part of the season but as soon as he plays bad game and Ronaldo plays a good one, then we're back to status quo.

The thing is, it's a comfortable lie and a politically correct lie. No matter the validity of the arguments that are put forward, the grand majority of people are centrists in the world. They're comfortable with not picking sides because they think it makes them superior to radicals and the tendentious streams that sway our view. You hear these football fans everywhere. Commentators, pundits, your annoying friends. Their calling card is "I don't care who is better. I'm just glad I get to witness both of them in their prime".

If everyone were to take a step back and actual think about it for themselves, there would be no question. But of course, the people who prefer Ronaldo will do anything to perpetuate that construction and dismiss any reasonable debate.

When Ronaldo won the Ballon d'or in 2013, it wasn't because Ronaldo was a better player than Messi. It was because Messi had admittedly dropped a bit in form. Certainly, if they were on the same level before, as the grand narrative had declared, any dip in form from either of them would mean that the other one should get the crown without further reflection.

ThwiX said:

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Are these quotes fake or what is going on with Maradona?

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The quotes are real, they both met last year at the FIFA awards so I guess they renewed their friendship.

ebc_99 said:

Why does nobody analyse Ronaldos performances like they do with Messi especially as he has so much more poor ones. His are swept under the carpet and forgotten about whilst Messi's off days are gone over with a fine toothed comb.

Ronaldo is average for most of the season, contributing to his team falling out of the title race by Christmas but scores an overhead kick and it's all forgiven and forgotten. Messi carries his team on his back to a double but 2 or 3 poor games and most are on his back criticising him, saying he is past his best, Ronaldo is a clutch player Messi is weak mentally bla bla bla, some of the crap on here is barely believable sometimes.

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Dr Van Nostrand diagnosis: It's a vertigo induced deicide

Not easy for ordinary folks coping with the thin air up there where Neo can soar

thus the need to bring their hero down to more human and reassuring heights --> enter CR (even though he looks like a bot lol)

geen zorgen, god is niet dood

and congratz to good'ol Diego!

He just had a moment of white magic clarity and told it like it is

ebc_99 said:

Why does nobody analyse Ronaldos performances like they do with Messi especially as he has so much more poor ones. His are swept under the carpet and forgotten about whilst Messi's off days are gone over with a fine toothed comb.

Ronaldo is average for most of the season, contributing to his team falling out of the title race by Christmas but scores an overhead kick and it's all forgiven and forgotten. Messi carries his team on his back to a double but 2 or 3 poor games and most are on his back criticising him, saying he is past his best, Ronaldo is a clutch player Messi is weak mentally bla bla bla, some of the crap on here is barely believable sometimes.

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Good points. I think it's because Madrid can usually win without Cristiano. The 4 most recent games that we can think about: second game against Juve, the 2 Bayern games and the final against Liverpool. His contribution was really poor in all of these 4 games, but why nobody criticized him? Because in the end, Madrid won.

Juventus dominated Madrid and he did nothing all game, but then he became the "hero" by scoring a penalty in the last minute.
He did nothing against Bayern in both matches, but Bayern mistakes + the rest of Madrid players saved Cristiano. Again.
In the final he was invisible again, more Liverpool mistakes + Bale scoring and in the end, Madrid won again. It's hard to criticize any player after you won a big title. The same happened in 2016 Euro. People will forget about because all that matters is the result.

Portugal went out of the last world cup in the group stage and maybe I'm wrong but nothing extremely negative was said about Ronaldo. If that happened argentina they would still be giving him shit now. So much more pressure on Messi. Also I really don't think Ronaldo was as confident a player before the euro 2016 win. He seems a more fluid player these days who doesn't get the ball taken off him like he used to. I always wonder if Messi had won one of those competitions with argentina would we see a relaxed super confident Messi. Even so there is no one more confident on the ball who makes things happen than Messi anyway

eaman said:

Portugal went out of the last world cup in the group stage and maybe I'm wrong but nothing extremely negative was said about Ronaldo. If that happened argentina they would still be giving him shit now. So much more pressure on Messi. Also I really don't think Ronaldo was as confident a player before the euro 2016 win. He seems a more fluid player these days who doesn't get the ball taken off him like he used to. I always wonder if Messi had won one of those competitions with argentina would we see a relaxed super confident Messi. Even so there is no one more confident on the ball who makes things happen than Messi anyway

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Well Portugal is not Argentina, nobody expects Portugal to win anything even after they somehow Chelsea'd a Euro win. Argentina is the far bigger football nation, the expectations there will always be high and there will be a lot of talking after an early exit. Argentina is seen on a level with like Brazil, Germany, Italy so naturally there is more talk about them and Messi.

MTL_Barca said:

Well Portugal is not Argentina, nobody expects Portugal to win anything even after they somehow Chelsea'd a Euro win. Argentina is the far bigger football nation, the expectations there will always be high and there will be a lot of talking after an early exit. Argentina is seen on a level with like Brazil, Germany, Italy so naturally there is more talk about them and Messi.

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I know that but going out in the group stage to the USA should have been a massive deal. Getting to the final with an average team and barely losing is not good enough for alot of argentinians

the difference in expectations is because Messi has all of the attributes of the archetypical GOAT tier player (maradona, cruyff, di stefano, pele etc.). CR7 doesn't have those attributes (he has others tho) and has never quite faced the same level of GOAT performance expectations in global tournaments like the WC. For instance, he had 3 goals in 3 WCs before this one, and was never torn apart for it while the WC has been a black mark on messi's otherwise huge trophy haul (I understand Portugal isn't Argentina but they aren't scrubs either and in 06 and even 10 had a strong squad). I also think the Euro 2016 did wonders for CR7's mentality in big games by liberating him of pressure. His historic KO year in the CL came right after it and the 3 goals v spain was the first he scored v spain, germany, italy, england, or france in his lifetime lol.

If Messi doesn't up his game from here on in the world cup, the ballon d'ors heading to ronaldo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTVKHnOPz5c

That was one of his best perfomances with argentinia, hopefully he can repeat that.

ThwiX said:

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Are these quotes fake or what is going on with Maradona?

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Maradona does those type of flip-flop comments. if Leo plays well he'll be the first to shit on him for no reason

People are exagerrating cr7's "mental strength" and undermining messi's as if after being 4-1 behind in the bdor race he almost single handedly took RM and portugal to titles with his mental strength and obsession. He was invisible in finals and semis in CL this time but all that is forgotten what remains is the bicycle kick he did in quarters. Same shit in the CL win of 16 and the euro win too but even worse than this time. It is this misleading thought process in everyone's head that if RM wins then cr7 must be the reason for it.

If it was someone else with a different name and face than that of cr7 and played in his place and did what he did the last 4 years he wouldn't have won so many bdors and been compared to messi.

Messi is his own worst enemy, he has GOAT level talent and that raises peoples expectations, that's why he's under a loop more than Ronaldo.

I was one of the many that hated when Ronaldo did well, but now it's just hard to deny what he's doing currently, the guy scores 3 goals against Spain, has been scoring non-stop in important matches, and has been clutch.

CR7 has somehow closed the gap that at one point was huge between the two. Unbelieable

I hate that "scored 3 against Spain" bs, its a De Gea own goal, and 2 dives to win Penalty and Free Kick, but since its Ronaldo, diving is expected and ok, and its called "showing up", imagine if Messi started diving, dropping to the grass like a bitch in the box every time someone got close to him instead of doing his dribbles, I don't know how I could support someone like that.

clemente said:

I hate that "scored 3 against Spain" bs, its a De Gea own goal, and 2 dives to win Penalty and Free Kick, but since its Ronaldo, diving is expected and ok, and its called "showing up", imagine if Messi started diving, dropping to the grass like a bitch in the box every time someone got close to him instead of doing his dribbles, I don't know how I could support someone like that.

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He was the best player for Portugal without the goals.