According to Barcelona’s veteran midfielder Xavi Hernandez, Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t even come close to Lionel Messi in terms of who is the best player in the game.
The 34-year old voiced his opinion during a recent television interview with Espacio Reservado. Xavi was on Messi’s side:
“The way I see it, Messi is the best player in history. He is the one who changes the course of games; he’s the best. There is no comparison in my view; he’s the world number one and by a margin.”
It is expected that Xavi would say this after playing with Messi for a long time. He may not find many endorsements for his view in light of Ronaldo and Messi’s recent form. The latter endured a mini fall from grace last season as his form stuttered under failing manager Tata Martino.
Martino used Messi on the right flank and it didn’t go too well. Ex-Barca manager Radomir Antic felt Messi stopped giving his best when on the flanks, according to Goal.com reporter Alberto Pinero:
“Messi did not do much running because the coach told him to play as a winger. This was Messi’s way of saying ‘If you want me to play on the wing, I will do just that.’
I don’t think Messi will accept playing as a winger after everything he has done for Barcelona. He will say ‘If you want me on the wing, I will play there, but whether I will get involved in the game is another thing..”
While messi’s form dipped compared to his flawless standards, Ronaldo captured the Ballon d’or en route to helping inspire Real Madrid to a 10th European Cup triumph.
Playing in a front line that had the likes of Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema, and receiving consistent supply from Angel Di Maria helped Ronaldo scored 48 goals in the UEFA Champions League and La Liga.
Ronaldo is certainly a prolific goalscorer but he is not as complete as Messi. Messi has equalled, or even bettered, him in the scoring charts over the years, but he’s also helped others thrive. That was shown by the 47 assists he tallied from 2010-2013, according to Daily Mirror reporter Ed Maylon.
This was 10 more than Ronaldo and made Messi the most prolific creator in Europe’s top five leagues during that time.
There is no denying Ronaldo’s talent and ability but even he can’t compare with Messi when he is at his best.