The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Arguments over whether Messi or Ronaldo is the greatest player in the world are futile.
Ronaldo or Messi? Just appreciate the talent
Spence on Saturday
The World Cup has produced a few riveting games and some very average ones, but one thing it was guaranteed to do is reignite the argument as to who the best player on planet football is.
The battle between two of the finest talents ever to have pulled on a pair of boots rages but can have no winner.
The arguments over whether Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo is the greatest player in the world are futile.
Supporters of either player will never be convinced of the superior merits of the other man.
So far Ronaldo has been far and away the more accomplished of the two, scoring all three goals for Portugal in a 3-3 feast against Spain, and a bullet of a header to beat Morocco.
Messi and Argentina have been lacklustre, drawing with Iceland, the smallest nation in the tournament, and being thumped 3-0 by Croatia.
On the evidence of this tournament so far then, Ronaldo undoubtedly is the better performer.
However, my preference is to simply enjoy the unique skills of each man to the maximum without losing sleep over debating who is the better because I believe their wonderful talents are different and inseparable.
Ronaldo’s sumptuous free-kick to give Portugal a draw against Spain highlighted a player at the peak of his astonishing skills. Accuracy, precision, and power all encapsulated in one magnificently-executed and inchperfect strike.
His hat-trick in the match highlighted the full gamut of his abilities: balletic movement, stunning striking power and lightning reactions. He constantly carries the most potent of threats in situations where lesser players carry none.
Messi, the magician of the mazy dribble, is a different type of player in both size and style.
He is equally possessed of gifts bestowed by the football gods.
Mesmerising close control, allied to a bewildering pace which leaves opponents constantly on the cusp of catching him, yet unable to close that tantalising half yard on the Argentine marvel.
His diminutive frame is in sharp contrast to Ronaldo’s athletic and statuesque build but his wizardry on the ball in the tightest of spots and ability to emerge from a thicket of markers, still in possession of the ball, defy logic.
At times both men seem destined to carry the weight of expectation of their entire nations on their shoulders.
This time around the Real Madrid man has borne that burden much more lightly than his Barcelona rival, who has looked subdued and a shadow of his normal effervescent self.
However, great players are judged not on one tournament but on performances through the years. I bracket both men in the genius and legend category. Even if this time Messi has looked lethargic and been overshadowed by his great rival, time spent arguing over who is the better is time wasted. It’s far more satisfying to simply admire and wonder at the marvellous talents of each of these two great football artists. Rather than rake over their respective merits, better by far to enjoy the astonishing talents of two players whose like we may never see again at the same moment in football history.