This is the endless debate, but it’s part of why footy is so much fun. I started with my conclusion, then looked at the stats to back me up. I assumed that Messi and Ronaldo had similar goal numbers, but that Messi would blow Ronaldo out of the water on assists. That’s actually not the case. Messi certainly has the edge (163 to 127 at the club level), but it isn’t the massive disparity I assumed.
Then there’s big games. Generally, you’d say that if you want to win a league, you pick Messi. If you need to win a tournament or a single game, it’s Ronaldo. I mean, look at his performance in the 2016 Euro final.
What, he didn’t play? And Portugal still won? Goddammit.
Ronaldo has really confused me this year. At the start of the season and for the first phases of the campaign, he was a provider, not a scorer. He was behaving like he was happy. It was out of the character I had in my head for him (granted, I didn’t watch many Real games). My biggest knock on him is that he has slammed so many defenders standing in walls this year that it’s a miracle he hasn’t killed somebody. He needs to step away from free kicks for the good of the side. I don’t know if it’s a gentleman’s agreement or what, but Juventus has two takers that are clearly superior in Dybala and Pjanic.
I should be a Ronaldo fan after Tuesday, but I can’t make myself do it. There’s just something about him, whether it’s how he behaves on the field, his baggage off the field, or the fact he’s always on-brand. It just bothers me. If the rape allegations are true, well... Fuck him. That would be literally the most disgusting thing possible to me, especially if Juventus pull this off.