Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have set the football world alight with their outstanding individual skill, goal records and all-round dominance on the football field. Yet when one mentions the two names in a sentence, the all-consuming topic of discussion becomes the Messi vs Ronaldo debate.

The debate is natural of course, but is it really necessary to scrutinise the extensive lists of statistics to try to justify favouring one or the other as “the best”? This argument isn’t exclusive to these two players. A familiar example of how two good players can be compared against each other is Frank Lampard versus Steven Gerrard: a battle long-contested and still in motion with both soon to be competing in MLS. Ronaldo and Messi are similar in this sense and comparison is inevitable, the only difference being that with both players constantly playing so well at such a high level there seems to be no end in sight for the debate.

Cristiano Ronaldo made the headlines again for his brilliance last Sunday, scoring five goals, a record even for him, in an emphatic 9-1 win for Real Madrid against Granada. Scrolling through Twitter is the modern means of reflection it seems, and as Sunday afternoon arrived so did the praise for the Portuguese star. Rightly so: his performance was outstanding and he made the question of his “lack of form” after receiving the Ballon d’Or look completely ludicrous. Does this mean Ronaldo is now suddenly the undisputed superior of the pair? It’s highly doubtful and if anything the constant change in opinion is only reflective of the frequency of outstanding play exhibited by both players, adding to the futility of trying to formulate a cemented opinion on who should “win” this increasingly unnecessary debate.

The debate itself then began: “who is better?”, “who will win the golden boot?”, “can Messi top that?”. At the time, the very much in-form Ronaldo of course was favoured. That is, until Messi, a man who himself has scored five goals in a single match in 2012 and at the time received praise from Ronaldo, next tears a team apart. The Real Madrid forward is reported to have reflected on Messi’s five goals by saying: “It’s not easy to score five goals in one game. I hope I can achieve this one day”. In all honesty, no one is surprised that he has now matched this incredible feat.

The fact is, the biased nature of fans adds considerable weight to the delusive nature of comparison. Without forgetting the rise of Atletico Madrid, Spanish Fooball is still effectively ruled by the two giants who make up El Clasico—Barcelona and Real Madrid. Both clubs have a fan base or following that now verges into the 100s of millions and with a preference for either club comes a preference for either player. If a Real Madrid fan of any capacity claims to actually prefer Messi to Ronaldo, it is not beyond the realms of possibility their loyalty and support of the club itself can come into question. This results in an unquestioning allegiance to one player through rose-tinted glasses, but also an equally damaging refusal to willingly accept the brilliance of both players.

It just so happens that we as sports fans are fortunate enough to be living in a very special era; an era which can be overshadowed by needless comparisons being formed. Statistics are an important aspect of modern day sport analysis, but in comparative terms they are too black and white and simply cannot be relied upon to demonstrate the superiority of an individual, especially two individuals as closely matched as Messi and Ronaldo.

These comparisons are ultimately futile and the final answer that is so desperately sought after cannot be found. It can be particularly infuriating to see statistics used in an entirely elitist and irrational manner, especially when used in a critical format. A prime example of this is Messi’s “bad” season he supposedly suffered in the eyes of some particularly demanding critics last year. In all competitions in the 2013/2014 season he made 46 appearances and scored 41 goals, as well as contributing 14 assists. The worrying thing was for some this simply was not good enough,the fact he failed to manage a goal a game genuinely resulted in criticism for the Argentinian. This symbolises the ridiculous nature of the debate itself, if we start adjudigng just under a goal a game as a poor season, even by Messi standards, we beging to lose clarity and appreciation of the achievements of both players and the consistency of their form. 41 goals is not, and never will be a “bad” season for a player and it’s a shame that this ridiculous notion was formed through a desire to find an answer to the “Messi or Ronaldo” debate.

The truth of the matter is that Messi and Ronaldo are anomalies. The phrase “world class” is banded about all too often, Eden Hazard, Ajren Robben and Gareth Bale are just a few players who are probably thought of as adequately meeting the expectations of a “world class” player. With Messi and Ronaldo there is a clear gap to be found, it can perhaps be covered by the “legendary” status. Both players rise well above the rest in modern world football. This makes comparison all the more difficult and ultimately a task which nears impossibility because of their ascendancy above the rest.

A rivalry between the two is something which can be welcomed and understood though. We have witnessed some truly remarkable examples in recent times: Federer vs Nadal, Rosberg vs Hamilton, and in our very own sport, Messi vs Ronaldo. Whilst it’s certainly worth embracing sporting rivalries, they don’t need to be overly exaggerated to maintain their worth. Messi and Ronaldo, whilst fierce competitors, clearly have an underlying respect for one another, and perhaps even a hint of admiration too.

In the evening game last Sunday, Messi couldn’t quite manage to get the six goals needed to outdo Ronaldo as Barcelona scraped past Celta Vigo 1-0. In fact, he didn’t even score a goal, though being Messi he was still very much noticeable in the game and did not quite manage to have a “quiet” game even on this occasion. However, during the mid week games Messi managed a goal to alleviate the worries anyone genuinely had of him after a rare goalless game.

Last weekend was Ronaldo’s weekend, this time around, maybe it will be Messi’s. The fact is, the longer both players keep setting the bar higher for one another, the better. Ronaldo’s performance last weekend will certainly make Messi strive for even more goals and with it even more acts of genius will follow. The two manage to spur each other on each time they excel and all football fans can unite in saying “long may it continue”.

The list of records, trophies, and individual achievements the two players have could take up a page alone, maybe even a few. Whichever player you prefer is understandable, a strong case could be made for the supremacy of either. Engaging in a debate over who is better can be quite satisfying as well, but what should dominate the conversation is the fortunate fact that their two careers have just happened to have coincided. The underlying point here? It’s simply not worth getting caught up in trying to decipher who is better and being completely ignorant of the fact that both players are two of the greatest footballers that we will ever see.

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