The duo is widely considered to be the best two footballers of the modern generation. The pair dominated the Ballon d’Or for more than ten years between 2008-2018, before Croatia’s Luka Modric finally won the award this year.

Messi, who, like Ronaldo, is a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, has once again been in stellar form for Barcelona in La Liga this season, with the Blaugrana looking set to convincingly win the title. Ronaldo’s former club Real Madrid, meanwhile, look to be a shadow of their former selves, having struggled following his departure to Juventus last summer.

Messi and Ronaldo won’t be competing against each other domestically this term, but nor will they face off in the Champions League, either. The Blaugrana, having come through the quarter-finals comfortably after defeating Manchester United over two legs, are now 6/4 favourites to win the tournament outright, according to bookmakers in the UK. Juventus, however, were eliminated at the hands of relative minnows Ajax Amsterdam. The humiliating defeat ironically came after the Dutch club had knocked out Ronaldo’s former side Madrid in the previous round.

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Ronaldo was a key part of the Madrid setup over a decade of glory and played a key role in helping the side to win the past three consecutive Champions League titles. In terms of the La Liga, however, it was Messi who got the better of his rival on most occasions. During his stay with Madrid, Ronaldo won two La Liga titles. The 31-year-old Messi, meanwhile, has nine La Liga titles to his name.

Messi told Radio C5N that it was “lovely” playing against his rival in Spain, although he admitted being “annoyed” at having to see Ronaldo pick up so many awards, often at his expense.

The question of who is better between Ronaldo and Messi will always be a topic that is fiercely debated. Messi may enjoy more success as far as the La Liga goes. However, Ronaldo did manage to win Euro 2016 and boasts an international major trophy to his name, something Messi does not.

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Luka Modric ultimately ended up winning the most recent Ballon d’Or award to finally end the stronghold which Messi and Ronaldo have had over the award for more than a decade. Prior to Modric’s win, the last man apart from Ronaldo and Messi to have won the award was Kaka of AC Milan back in 2007.

“I don’t want to forget anyone, but I think that Neymar, (Kylian) Mbappe, (Eden) Hazard, Luis Suarez and (Sergio) Aguero are the best,” Messi told Radio 94.7 Club Octubre.

“I didn’t include Cristiano Ronaldo in that list, because I consider him to be on the same level as me.”

The reason why Messi did not name himself and Ronaldo in the list is because he considers them to be a cut above the rest. Messi has been brilliant once again this season and has so far scored 39 goals and assisted a further 21 in just 37 games.

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Ronaldo meanwhile has continued to excel despite having moved to the Serie A which is one of the toughest leagues in the world in to score on a regular basis. The 34-year-old has so far scored 24 goals from 36 games in all competitions for his club. Despite his age advancing, Ronaldo appears to be as hungry as a 23-year-old in terms of wanting success.

The Old Lady of Italian football look set to win yet another Serie A title as they have a massive 15 points advantage over second place Napoli. Real Madrid have struggled since the departure of Ronaldo last summer. Los Blancos suffered a humiliating Champions League exit at the hands of Ajax Amsterdam.

Meanwhile, Juve are set to play against Ajax in the quarter-finals of Europe’s premier club competition. Max Allegri’s side will be the firm favourites to reach the semi-finals of the competition.

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Ronaldo came in at number 49 on the list, behind the likes of Anthony Martial of Manchester United and Nicolas Otamendi of Man City, while he is one place above Fabinho of Monaco.

Neymar came out on top of the list of the most valuable footballers, which was named by the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) Football Observatory. Lionel Messi came in second, with Tottenham star Harry Kane third.

Neymar of PSG was given an estimated value of €213 million, while Messi is rated at €202.2 million and Kane at €194.7 million.

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Other players in the top ten include Dele Alli (€171.3 million), Kevin De Bruyne (€167.3 million), Romelu Lukaku (€164.8 million) and Paul Pogba (€147.5 million).

Ronaldo’s estimated transfer value

Ronaldo is valued at a “mere” €80.4 million, according to the study. Factors the study takes into account include age, position, contract duration, performance and international status.

The list has not changed drastically from last year. Several out of the top ten from last season have remained in the top ten, while Luis Suarez and Eden Hazard are out of the top ten but remain in the top 20.

Factors that work against Ronaldo at this point in time are his age as well as his form – he has surprisingly not been his usual best for Real this season and has only managed to score four goals from 13 La Liga matches; a record that leaves him a distant 80/1 with NetBet Sport to claim top goalscorer this season.

Age catching up with Cristiano?

Meanwhile, Ronaldo’s fierce rival Messi has been brilliant so far this season as Barcelona seemingly look destined to win the La Liga. Ronaldo won the Ballon d’Or award last season as he played an instrumental role as Los Blancos went on to win La Liga and the Uefa Champions League. His form this season, however, suggests he could now have peaked.

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This is indeed major news in the world of football as Ronaldo has been a player who has dominated headlines for more than ten years now and is held by most as being one of the greatest footballers of all time.

At 32 years of age, Ronaldo is certainly past the age at which most players are able to shine. He is, however, not your average player and one of the hardest-working elite athletes, so this will be a major source of disappointment for him.

Meanwhile, he will captain Portugal at this year’s World Cup, which could well be his last. Knowing Ronaldo and his passion for the game, however, if he is able to continue to perform decently for the next four years, it would not be surprising to see him turn out for his country during the 2022 World Cup aged 37.

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The former full-back told Fox Sports that Ronaldo’s incredible work ethic, focus and unwavering desire to continually improve his game set him apart from contemporaries such as Lionel Messi and Neymar, even with the Portuguese star now being 32 years of age.

Over the past decade, the football world has been dominated by headlines that have been generated by the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The Argentine is undoubtedly having the better season of the pair so far this term, but the duo will have the opportunity to test their rivalry on the biggest stage in the summer’s World Cup in Russia; they are both amongst the favourites to come out as golden boot winner according to the betting odds that NetBet published on betting sites.

Joint stranglehold on Ballon d’Or

Of course, with each player generally being in scintillating form year after year, it would be unfair to determine the better of the two on the basis of one tournament. To illustrate this fact: since 2007, no other player besides the pair has won the prestigious Ballon d’Or award; the last person to do it apart from them was former AC Milan and Brazil star Kaka.

There have been endless heated debates about who is the better player between Ronaldo and Messi. Each has his own set of admirers and detractors and this is perhaps one of the most popular, and endlessly debated, football arguments in history.

Ronaldo holds international edge

One thing that Ronaldo does boast which Messi does not is a major international trophy. Despite having played in a World Cup final in 2014 as well as three Copa America finals, Messi has never won a major trophy with Argentina.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, reached the 2004 final of the European Championships with Portugal as a 19-year-old. Playing at home, Portugal were widely expected to win the tournament, especially as their opponents in the final were Greece. However, the underdogs pulled off one of the biggest upsets in football history with a 1-0 victory, which ranks right up there with Leicester City’s shock Premier League title victory during the 2015/16 season.

Portugal have not produced many players on par with Ronaldo over the years, and they have often been accused of being a one-man team. That said, during the Euro 2016 tournament, Ronaldo and Portugal finally got to taste international success when they triumphed in the European Championships, overcoming pre-tournament favourites France during the final of the competition.

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That’s according to British publication The Daily Record, who claim sources close to the Portuguese state that he is willing to “fight for a move” away from the Bernabeu next summer.

Following the €222 million signing of Barcelona forward Neymar by Paris Saint-Germain last year, the spend-happy French champions are considered amongst favourites to be bidding for Ronaldo’s signature should he become available, along with the 32-year-old’s former club Manchester United.

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According to Metro, Ronaldo believes Perez has “backtracked on a promise” to increase his wages after having one of the best seasons of his professional career, guiding Madrid to a memorable La Liga and Champions League double. Cristiano reportedly feels undervalued compared to those players considered below him in the pecking order for world’s best footballer: namely, Neymar and long-time rival Lionel Messi.

The 147-times-capped Portugal international was also reportedly angered by Perez’s recent media comments about his desire to have signed the Argentine superstar for Real earlier in the 30-year-old’s career, with some outlets claiming the player and president are no longer on speaking terms.

After signing a contract extension in November 2016 to take his stay at the Santiago Bernabeu through to 2021 at the earliest, however, there is plenty of time for Los Blancos to win around their star man.

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La Liga officials have long claimed that Spanish employment law forces clubs to attach a buy-out clause to each player’s contract, but these numbers were largely thought to be hypothetical maximums. That is, at least, until Neymar’s €222 million transfer from Barcelona to Paris-St Germain this summer, in which the French cash kings lodged the full amount as a deposit with the league after the Blaugrana attempted to block the move at every turn.

As a result of such ludicrous figures now changing hands, the buy-out clauses of some of La Liga’s top stars have come under increased scrutiny in recent weeks. And, according to the Portuguese star’s contract with Real, Ronaldo is the joint-most valuable player in the world, with his buy-out – and surprisingly, that of teammate Karim Benzema – standing at a stunning €1 billion.

Lionel Messi, by comparison, has a relatively paltry buy-out clause standing at €300 million, with nine La Liga players deemed hypothetically more valuable than him. Of course, a large part of the figure being relatively “low” is Barcelona’s trust in their star man not to leave the club he so deeply cherishes.

While it would seem one billion euros should be enough to deter potential poachers, the past year has shown us crazy things do happen in football, and no amount of money for the signature of Cristiano Ronaldo can now be considered pure fantasy.

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A day after picking up a Golden Boot award for scoring 46 league goals last season, the 26-year-old paid respect to his Real Madrid rival.

“I don’t know if Cristiano Ronaldo is at his peak but he is always there scoring goals in all the games and taking part in his club and national side,” Messi told Spanish sports daily Marca and other European sports journalists.

“He has been doing that for many years and whether he is at his peak or a bit less makes no difference.”

The 28-year-old Real Madrid star Ronaldo is emerging as the favorite to pick up this year’s Ballon d’Or for the world’s best player over four-time winner Messi.

Ronaldo scored a hat-trick on Tuesday as Portugal beat Sweden to qualify for its fourth straight World Cup finals and he tops the Spanish league scoreboard so far this season with 16 goals in 13 matches.

Messi has 11 goals from eight games in the league this season but has been sidelined for up to eight weeks with a muscle tear in his left hamstring muscle.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, a Real Madrid fan, told public radio he would back Ronaldo for the Ballon d’Or award if he had a vote.

“I think he is in impressive form. He is a player who gives everything. Yes, I would vote for him,” Rajoy said.

The Portuguese’s chances seemed to rise even further when FIFA announced a two-week extension to the voting deadline until November 29, citing a weak turnout, and allowing participants to change ballots already cast.

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Cristiano Ronaldo tastes his first trophy for the season after a 2-1 victory over Barcelona in Supercopa second leg match. Ronaldo scored one goal in the game, while the other goal came through Gonzalo Higuain. Meanwhile, Barcelona single goal was created thought Lionel Messi’s amazing free kick shot.

Unlike the first leg match, Real Madrid clearly showed their domination throughout the match. Both 2 goals  were created in the first half, at minute 11th by Higuain, and Cristiano Ronaldo 8 minutes later. And afterwards, Mourinho’s squad managed to give a hard time for Victor Valdes, as they didn’t stop on attacking.

Anyway, here are pictures of Cristiano Ronaldo on the match :

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On the last season, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi both competing and became the best. Cristiano Ronaldo with his first league trophy, and Messi with his goal record. Statistically, Messi leads with 73 goals, 28 assists, and 59 caps, while Ronaldo in second place with 60 goals, 15 assists and 54 caps.

In season 2012/13 that  soon will start, the two best players in the world will again compete in the same field. But before that, praises came from other athletes for their superiority.

Last summer, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James and Kevin Duran from US basketball stars mentioned Messi as the best footballer. According to Lebron, Messi is not only the best on his time, but also in history.

Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo also received supports from his fellow athlete. Usain Bolt, the fastest runner in the world chose him as the best players since he has more complete skills as a footballer.

On the internet world, Cristiano Ronaldo no doubt win the competition as he managed to collect over than 47 million fans. Messi, on the other hand, got left behind with 10 millions fewer fans. On Twitter, in less than a year, Ronaldo already grab 12 million followers, which consider as a great achievement for an athlete. As for Messi, he doesn’t have a single account on Twitter.

What about Balon D’Or Trophy ? This year, Ronaldo and Messi still competing to become the winner, alongside Andres Iniesta as one of the three finalists. On the last 3 season, Messi have won the title, while Ronaldo had to satisfy as runner up. But who deserves the trophy this year ?

For Messi, he only able to end the season with his personal record and Copa del Rey trophy. As for Cristiano Ronaldo, he managed to win his first league trophy with Real Madrid. Based on this fact, the competition is getting tighter.

Another interesting fact in the beginning of the next season, is that Messi is now under new coach, Tito Vilanova. This situation could be an advantage for Ronaldo, as he gets more comfortable with Mourinho.

So, we just have to wait until the season starts at August 19th to find out which player will shine in season 2012/13.

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