Its amazing how quickly he was releasing the ball against Spain and most of his decision making were spot on. The irony is that Spain wasn't pressing that much but in the game against Morocco who literally didn't give Portugal a chance to breath it seemed like all Portugal players were taking too long to release any passes, especially the midfielders and Ronaldo of course. I swear when I was watching that game it looked like Portugal fielded 4 Casemiros, and at any point you felt like they'll get punished.
It really cannot be denied at the moment that nobody is doing their job better than Ronaldo is doing his. He's not putting up legendary performances just yet in this WC, but after two matches, has anyone done their job better than he has done his? Given what is expected of him, and what he has to work with, I don't think anyone else could have done what he has done so far. So, as of right now, he has to be the Golden Ball (and of course Golden Shoe) favourite. Not to mention winning the EPL long after Ronaldo left, and also reaching another UCL final without him. His one UCL victory with Man Utd was also a ridiculously fortunate penalty win where he missed (talk about mentality) and Terry slipped. No amount of hard-work and mentality could have closed the gap between Messi's Barcelona and Ronaldo's Man Utd in 2009. If there is now recognition that Messi's greatest period of dominance came at the same time as Spain's greatest generation, there should also be a recognition that Ronaldo's three-piece came at a time when Real Madrid really was the best team in the world and quite lucky (all champions are, but this Madrid a little more so than most) and the victories were more of a collective effort than most people would say (as all victories are). If we can recognise the importance of Messi's teammates then we must also recognise that Ronaldo was carried by his teammates to the three-peat UCL on a number of matches, particularly in a couple of the finals! It's crazy to claim that it was Ronaldo and his mentality that won Madrid the three-peat. What about Sergio Ramos and his mentality to come up with crucial goals in historic moments? The fact that both Ronaldo and Messi have been the official MotM in just one each of their their collective 8 UCL final victories should tell us something. Added to this is Ronaldo's constant below par performances in the final and his unlucky no-show at the EURO final, and Messi's repetitive national team final losses at both Copa America and WC14. Despite their talent, hard work, and mentality, they can't bend reality to their will. Does this take away some of the greatness of these two? Probably, but I think justifiably so. Maybe it's just me, but in the Messi vs Ronaldo debate, I think both sides have tried too much to credit their man for their respective's team success, which minimises the credits that their teammates deserve. It is possible to share the glory, and still have plenty left enough for these two to be considered GOAT candidates.
It really is a tiresome debate. It has gone on so long both camps have become entrenched and if I was to deliberately engender the vocab of our times it has become partisan. I don't think it helps that both men have had significant periods where one was superior to the other, and you are right that probably was down to the players they had around them. Though Ronaldo's ability to reinvent himself during the Autumn of his career is one of the most impressive things I have seen in this sport.
Funny that people even today belittle Messi struggling vs Iran and barely pulling it off and yesterday, against the team and setup, Spain struggled just as much.
You can't be serious. The fact that you disagree is not reality. The distinction in this case is extremely clear. People are shedding their bias, yours will come with time it seems but it'll come. Sounds like the argument of a guy who hasn't watched a single game of basketball or soccer in his life. Is that really your ultimate argument in determining which players are better??! There is nothing wrong with believing that Ronaldo is better than Messi. And obviously from your statements and arguments you will only believe more firmly in your ideas instead of seeing things as objectively as possible. Messi is the better player than Ronaldo, period. That's not a debate. That doesn't necessarily mean that he hasn't had the better career as far as trophies and accomplishments are concerned. In addition, I still believe Ronaldo's mentality takes him to a level that Messi cannot bring out in himself. Just from the way Ronaldo lives his life. The way he eats, the way he takes care of his body. Messi just recently admitted to indulging in chocolate and sodas during his earlier days for Barcelona before recently changing his diet. Ronaldo never took shortcuts and did everything the right way. His hunger to never be satisfied surpasses that of Messi. But the fact that Messi is clearly a better player must always be put into the equation. Messi in the last 2 years has carried Barcelona in a way that Ronaldo has never carried Real Madrid. Dude had a record breaking year in goals scored in a calendar year. Dude (Messi) can play make and pass better than Ronaldo making Messi an extremely useful player even if gen doesn't score. The fact is that Messi has been far more often compared to Maradona and Pele than Ronaldo has ever been if even that.
Argentina on the verge of elimination... If Iceland wins tomorrow, I can't see Argentina making it through to the KO rounds. Also: In the one-in-a-million chance that both Messi AND Ronaldo get eliminated in the group stage... Will there be any doubt about the fact that football, especially modern football, is a team sport that consists of 11 players (very much unlike tennis)??
What I would like to understand is this: If Ronaldo was declining and failing on a National Team level like Messi has been doing, would he get the same amount of excuses or passive behavior? People seem to ignore Messi's consistent failure, but if Ronaldo blew it, you'd never hear the end of it. At this point, it's becoming painfully obvious that Ronaldo is the GOAT and Messi is a product of one of the world's best teams and revolutionary duos (Iniesta and Xavi). Messi can't touch Ronaldo. It's not even close.
Argentina without Messi was literally out of the World Cup, Messi is arguably the only reason why Argentina even qualified. Similar to how some fans would say that Portugal 2014 wouldn't have even qualified without Ronaldo. Why is Ronaldo the GOAT in your opinion, even though Ronaldo totally flopped at World Cup 2014?? Answer me that question without using "Ronaldo was not fully fit" as an excuse, and then we can proceed to discuss how Messi is declining and failing at World Cup 2018. With respect: That makes no sense at all... 1. Messi already has World Cup 2014, which is better than any World Cup by Ronaldo so far. (World Cup 2018 is looking great for Ronaldo, but 2 games is too early to make any coherent or consistent comparisons with Messi 2014.) Messi has 3 Champions Leagues, and is 2 years younger than Ronaldo. Ronaldo has 5 Champions Leagues, but is 2 years older than Messi. 2. How is Messi the product of Iniesta and Xavi, but somehow Ronaldo is not the product of Sergio Ramos scoring clutch goals in the Champions League Finals of 2014 and 2016?? 3. Messi has proven that he can carry and/or help his club to La Liga titles in the 2014-2018 era. Barcelona has won La Liga in 2015, 2017, and 2018. What exactly was stopping Ronaldo from winning more La Liga titles in the 2010-2013 era?? In fact, what exactly is stopping Ronaldo from winning more La Liga titles in the 2014-2018 era?? If Ronaldo is so much better than Messi now, why is Ronaldo not demonstrating that in La Liga?? Atletico Madrid finished above Real Madrid in La Liga in 2014 and again in 2018, so not only is Ronaldo failing against Barcelona, but Ronaldo has in fact failed twice against Atletico Madrid. Why is the GOAT not demonstrating his supremacy in La Liga? Put differently: If Messi was merely a product of Iniesta and Xavi, why can Messi continue to win La Liga in an era in which Xavi isn't in Barcelona and also in an era in which Iniesta is an old shadow of his former self?? Why is Ronaldo not winning more La Liga titles now that Messi doesn't have Xavi and Iniesta to help him out?? 4. Portugal won the Euro Final that Ronaldo could not play. Argentina did not win a World Cup Final, and 2 Copa America Finals, all of which Messi played. Is Ronaldo better here too because Portugal can literally win a final without Ronaldo?? 5. What exactly makes Ronaldo the GOAT??
Well... looks like Ronaldo is running away with the Balon d'Or again... Neymar may still in it, but Salah's chances were toppled when he got fouled in May by Ramos, Messi's is self-destructing with this terribly managed Argentina side... Honestly... these two games are enough for him to almost clinch it. Even if Portugal fail vs Iran it won't be on him.
Messi played when they drew with Venezuela, when they drew with Uruguay, when they lost to Brazil, and when they lost to Chile. The reason Argentina qualified was the mystifying decision to ban Ecuador's coach before the game (https://www.infobae.com/america/dep...iminatorias-sudamericanas-mundial-rusia-2018/) Messi also missed a PK against Chile in the Copa finals, and completely disappeared in crucial games all year (vs Roma and vs Iceland and Croatia). So your sole excuse is World Cup 2014? Why can't the fact that Ronaldo missed the pre-World Cup friendlies with two separate injuries be used to explain his performance? What's Messi's excuse for disappearing in big games and in major tournaments? Also, Portugal had USA, Ghana and Germany, Argentina had Iran, Bosnia and Nigeria. So having a cake-walk group (mentioned above), then playing a weak Belgium squad, and winning on PKs against the Netherlands, and then no-showing int he World Cup final and losing. What an accomplishment. Roonaldo went tot he Euro 2004 final as a 19 year old, the Euro 2012 Semis, the World Cup 2006 Semis, Won the Euro 2016 and is the leading scorer of World Cup 2018. Please don't bring up international stats. Ronaldo is far sperior on a less talented squad http://www.espn.com/soccer/fifa-wor...-becomes-europes-top-scorer-in-internationals Easy, Ronaldo is the most clutch player in CL history. More goals than the entire team of Ateltico Madrid. Most Goals ALL TIME!!!!! Bicycles against Juve in Turin. Meanwhile, Messi disappears against Roma. Xavi and Iniesta go back-to-back-to-back with a Euro-World Cup-Euro wins, while Messi can't score a PK against Chile. Please don't compare the Champions League's greatest player ever to Messi. Ronaldo carried Portugal to the final. Clutch goals against Hungary and Wales (a header Messi could never score). He was lights out in PKs too. Physically superior. Scores with both feet, can score from distance, flicks and bicycles. He is one of the fastest players in the game (ran the fastest out of any player in the world cup at 33 years old) and has more hang time on his headers than anyone else. I'm not gonna mention his blistering long distance goals and free kicks. Mentally superior. Shows up in big games. 3 consecutive Champions League finals. Soon another Ball D'Ors. Dominated in Portugal and set records in one of the most competitive leagues int he world (Enland) Messi would never survive in England. Too physical for him and he knows that he can't succeed at a high level outside of the the same club he's been at his entire life, playing scrubs in La Liga and playing with superstars. I can go on and on but you already Ronaldo's the GOAT. It's just the denial that's keeping you form truly accepting.
No. No there isn't. There never was. Messi was a marketing ploy for FIFA's poster boy. Dude is a mental midget.
I wonder if he will quit again if they fail to advance. What is everyone’s take on Messi’s body language? He looks so stressed out from the pressure of playing with Argentina .. is always the same demeanor in these type of games.
Ecuador played with subs on that last game btw and they were already eliminated with nothing to play for .
Rubbing is face in desperation and stress. Didn't shake anyone's hands. He's known to be a petulant bitch. Who do you think drove Ibra, Sanchez, Eto'o and a catalog of other players out of Barca? Why didn't Dybala start? Messi is a shell of a man. Period. Maradona would've let this team.
Amazing stats ... has there ever been a top level athlete who showed serious signs of age related decline but came back faster and stronger years down the line ?? That's kinda puzzling..
He definitely is the best in Portugal so far, although there is a too big of a hype around the hattrick. Ignore a free kick for a moment and he had done nothing profoundly great in the game. He had a very good game overal (in build up), but again gets two goals by his name by being very fortunate.. without the free kick, it's not a memorable performance at all, despite 2 goals so i see it more like 1-1 game where Ronaldo was really good overal, great leadership and in dying minutes made that wonderful hit to avoid a loss. As far as how that compares to Messi so far... well, it doesn't, Messi missed penalty which is the only mistake he made, was at really high level vs Iceland, but not his absolute best, and yesterday....... If i may ask Ronaldo fans in here, how much worse does Argentina as a team, and individuals (not named Messi) have to play for you to admit that, yeah, perhapse Messi is not in quite good enough surrounding to do anything major on international stage? Okay, i partly understand when he gets criticized for Roma's performance, he did have some half chances to do his thing. Although they were low percantage chances, i can understand that you would expect allegedly goat to be able to score one of them, i can get over such criticism, but this was nothing like that.... he had no chance or help whatsoever, completely sterile Argentina attack, and even when he did get some space, pass never got to him. Abysmal performance by them and great one by Croatia (i told you we are great) Messi brought the maximum out of this team yesterday. I literally cant see the way how he could do more, individually, then he did yesterday... his passing, dribbling and even defending was on point... and if you disagree i INSIST that you show an actual clip of him doing something, anything wrong in the match. It's a textbook example of the fact football is the team sport. I would compare this Messi's situation with Argentina, with Lebron James' in last NBA final in which his team got swept by GSW... a team > an individual player.. always
so only crucial games are the one in which Messi disappears? let's ignore both clasicos, both games vs chelsea, atletico game, valencia games, cdr games,.... if you dont see one strong trend in their careers (since 2016), i will tell you. When Messi doesnt "perform", his teams lose, when Ronaldo doesnt perform, his teams still win. What does that tell you? ill let you get to conclusion by yourself.. just saying this season's semi final could turn very awful for Ronaldo, but that doesnt matter when you have good enough team to carry you through YOUR bad moments
When has a poorly prepared team really done well at a major tournament? (euros and world cups). Those instances can be counted on three fingers.
What Ronaldo could've done to make a difference against Iceland or Croatia is the real question. Messi did everything right other than missing that penalty. So far I've never seen any team man-marking Ronaldo the way they do for Neymar or Messi. He's not that much of a dribbling or playmaking threat