The anti-messi

I WONDER if Cristiano Ronaldo is the anti-messi. Just when Lionel Messi is in the news or is feted some recognition, the Portuguese footballer swoops in and all attention is on him. Of course, rightfully for his feats.

The two are actually friendly with each other. It’s just that the fans of each footballer who ferment this rivalry more so when they butted heads in the nine seasons that Ronaldo played for Real Madrid while Lionel Messi was

with Barcelona for 17 seasons.

But let’s give it to the fanboys and take a look at their head-to-head match-ups.

The two have for more than a decade competed for the title of the world’s best footballer with Messi winning six Ballon d’or trophies to Ronaldo’s five.

In their match-ups that encompass La Liga, the UEFA Champions League, Copa del Rey, Supercopa de España, and international friendlies, Messi has a 16-9-11 win-draw-loss slate against the Portuguese player with 22 goals scored.

Obviously, Ronaldo has the reverse 9-11-16 slate against the Argentine but has scored 21 goals.

Then Ronaldo won the Euros in 2016.

Messi, who has had much success on club level, but very little to show for in international football, was pilloried for failing to bring Argentina glory.

But the then-barcelona skipper guided Argentina to the 2021 Copa America. Although it was teammate Angel di Maria who scored the 1-nil winner over Brazil in the finals, Messi was feted for his tournament-long brilliance as he tallied four goals and five assists.

And he wasn’t done, he became the most capped Argentine with 151 international caps to his name.

The 34-year-old was rightfully handed the Golden

Ball Award. Now he was a winner of an international trophy for Argentina.

With Messi departing Barcelona for Paris St. Germain this season, the Argentine was in the world football news a lot.

While almost suddenly out of nowhere, Ronaldo is in the news. Well, major news.

At first, word circulated that he was joining Manchester City as incredible as it sounded. Then within a day or so, he was back to his old Premier League club, Manchester United.

With the Premier League the top domestic football league in terms of awareness and popularity, Ronaldo, especially if he leads the Red Devils to their first post-alex Ferguson title, will be the toast of England and the football world.

That is a bigger story than perhaps PSG winning the Ligue 1. Now, if PSG wins the UEFA Champions League, that is another story.

Although England and France are separated by a channel, their proximity even post-brexit will not fail to capture the imagination and of sportswriters.

The anti-messi—and I say that half-jokingly and with much respect—is in the limelight again. Let the games begin.