Greatness is a lot of small things done well every day, and it certainly begins beyond your comfort zone. The same applies in every walk of life.
Football (or The Beautiful Game, as Pele illustrated it) has never failed to enthrall its spectators. The game has been entertained by many greats, notably Bobby Charlton, Johan Cruyff, Lothar Matthäus, Franz Beckenbauer, Michael Platini, Dennis Bergkamp, Eusebio, Zinedine Zidane, Ferenc Puskas; you name it, we have it. Ninety minutes of high octane action moments turns heroes into legends and their names get etched with gold in the pages of history.
Today, the football fraternity around the globe has been highly privileged and fortunate to witness the metaphoric rise and dominance of two of the most popular stalwarts of the game --- Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid C.F.) and Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona).
So they are bound to be scrutinized based on their performances. The level of expectation and comparison doubles up when they lock horns in the ‘El Classico’, one of the fiercest rivalry in club football today. But who’s the greatest? At times, debates heat up and ultimately, the question remains unanswered. Here’s an honest attempt to solve the case.
We are no strangers to the never ending RONALDO-MESSI debate neither do we doubt their abilities at all. Be it RONALDO’s long range shots, powerful headers, dribble-sprint-finishes, or MESSI’s one-two-ones, tap-ins, solo run-finishes, we have seen it all. They have their own style of play not at all similar to each other. Even three-time World Cup winner Brazilian great Pele went on to say that comparing Ronaldo with Messi is unfair as they have contrasting style of play.
Ronaldo on Messi and the rivalry:
“I think we push each other sometimes in the competition, this is why the competition is so high. This is why RM and FCB are the best in the world.”
“We have to look on this rivalry with a good spirit, because it’s a good thing.”
Messi on Ronaldo and the rivalry:
“He is a phenomenal player who has many qualities that year after year he improves and that is why he is one of the best in the world.”
“That thing about our rivalry is something more invented by the press than by us.”
“What we want is to do our best every year, to do the best for our teams and what is spoken from outside is not something I give importance to.”
