Cristiano Ronaldo left and Lionel Messi face each other multiple times per year in Spain's La Liga CHAPTER ONE MESSI OR RONALDO Ask just about anyone who the best soccer player in the world is and they'll likely come up with one of two names Lionel Messi of Argentina and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo are the world's biggest soccer stars They play for two of the world's biggest clubs Messi for FC Barcelona and Ronaldo for Real Madrid And from opposite sides of that heated Spanish rivalry the high scoring strikers have rewritten the record books They're not only great rivals on the field in Spain's La Liga For nearly a decade they've fought for the unofficial title of best player in the world It's been an entertaining battle with no BA clear winner
The two stars could not look or act more different Ronaldo is tall powerful and graceful He glides past opponents with great speed and delivers headers with power and accuracy On the field he carries himself with the strut of a superstar Off it his smiling face is seen in advertisements throughout the world Messi meanwhile stands just 5 feet 7 inches tall Short and quick he has a knack for keeping possession in the tightest of spaces The ball seems to never leave his foot That allows Messi to dribble through forests of defenders and continue his attack on the net And he lets his goals do the talking Despite his monumental success Messi most often shuns the spotlight Both players have developed into lethal scorers for their clubs as well as their countries They battle each other for the honor of top scorer in La Liga And both pour in goals for their teams in the prestigious Champions League Consistency has been a big part of both players excellence Starting with the 2009–10 season Messi scored at least 40 goals for Barcelona in each of the next eight years Ronaldo netted 50 or more goals for Real Madrid in six straight seasons beginning in 2010-11 No one else in world soccer has even approached the numbers posted by the amazing duo Ronaldo leaps high for a header during 2014 World Cup play
