Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, two of the greatest personalities in sports, have brought us so much excitement to our TV screens for the last 15 years. Additional media and fan fuelled rivalry have always added an extra layer of excitement.
Both are gifted footballers with a never-give-up attitude and have scored ridiculous numbers throughout the years and smashed every record along the way.
They’ve also earned countless trophies and played the highest level in football for a while now, and despite their age, they are still dominating the football world.
The answer to the question of “who is better between Messi and Ronaldo?” has always been a big debate and may never be settled. In this article, we’ll be looking at their performance in the last year.
Messi in 2021
Both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s careers really took off during their time in La Liga. With their era-defining rivalry, Messi and Ronaldo have both won the GOAL50 award, with Ronaldo scoring five to Messi’s four awards. However, the Argentine may bring this into a draw this year, as he has put on magnificent performances throughout 2021.
One of the statements made against ranking Lionel Messi as the best player of all time was that he never stood out internationally. That argument changed this year as he scored the victory at the Copa America with Argentina.
His last ranking of 10th place had been into the tournament behind Barcelona’s final season, with the club experiencing massive financial issues.
Messi has still led the strapped Catalan club to win in the Copa Del Rey before picking up a record-lengthening place of the eighth top scorer award in the La Liga due to the 30 goals within 35 matches.
In addition to his current state of difficult circumstances, the public also questioned his captaincy abilities. However, 토토사이트 ended in Brazil, as Messi scored a victory for Argentina against the hosts in the Copa America final in Rio.
He had a colossal role in the Albiceleste’s triumph, as he scored five goals in total, which earned him both the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball. This resulted in him shedding meaningful tears.
The PSG star was still hungry for another Champions League win, which is one of the reasons why he subsequently decided to join Paris Saint-Germain. However, the Copa glory with Argentina seemed like the most significant moment of his amazing career.
Ronaldo in 2021
Indeed, Cristiano Ronaldo also had a fantastic 2021, starting with his sensational transfer of leaving Juventus and returning to Manchester United.
Before that, the Portuguese star also became the first-ever player to finish as a top scorer in England, Italy and Spain as he claimed the Capocannoniere award in Serie A with 29 goals.
At the Euro 2020, Ronaldo earned the Golden Boot by scoring five goals within four games for the Seleccao, during his journey of achieving the competition’s all-time leading marksman with 14 goals in total.
His end of the year achievement didn’t end there, as a double against Ireland in September got him to 111 goals while representing Portugal, making him the most scored by man in football’s history.
Conclusion – Ronaldo or Messi?
Even though these two living legends are currently in their mid-30s, neither one of them is quitting the game anytime soon. Messi and Ronaldo are still kicking in the greens, still striking and still setting the bars up higher than ever before. Who had the better performance in 2021? The answer is up to you
Messi vs Ronaldo – Head-to-Head Showdown in 2021