The Greatness of Messi - And why he's the Best of a Generation

While the so-called ‘Greatest of All Time’ (GOAT) debate is not exclusive to football (tennis fans perpetually argue about which of the Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic triumvirate are superior, for example), it seems to be particularly controversial and impassioned in the global soccer realm.

Of course, many will argue that the diminutive Argentinian Lionel Messi has now settled this debate once and for all, with the instinctive number 10 playing a seminal role as La Albiceleste won their third World Cup in Qatar during the winter.

At the same, Messi’s generational rival Cristiano Ronaldo has endured a torrid 12 months or so professionally, being forced out of Manchester United after struggling for form and starting berths under Erik ten Hag before falling out with Portugal boss Fernando Santos and being dropped for his country’s round of 16 clash with Switzerland.

For us, however, Messi’s iconic World Cup triumph simply reinforced his status as the greatest of his generation (and potentially of all time), with the man now having won everything possible during an incredible career that continues at the top level.

What do the Numbers Say?

While numbers don’t reveal everything about the brilliance of Messi and Ronaldo and their sustained impact at elite level, they do offer an insight their staggering career achievements to date.

They’re also weighted towards Messi’s claim to greatness, with the Argentine having made 870 club career appearances to date and scored 709 goals. He’s also provided an incredible 333 assists for Barcelona and Paris St Germain, creating a total of 1,042 goal involvements at well over one per game.

Conversely, Ronaldo has made 85 more appearances (955 in total), but scored three less club goals (706). He’s also registered noticeably fewer assists, with his 929 combined goal involvements coming in more matches and at less than one per game.

Even in the Champions League, Lionel Messi records a goal involvement every 80 minutes in total (compared with 88 minutes for CR 7).

So, even though Ronaldo has scored 11 more UCL goals and recoded one more assist in the tournament, he’s also several years older and has played 21 more games.

Beyond the Numbers – The Majesty and Selflessness of Messi

The higher number of assists contributed by Messi suggests that the Argentine was a superior team player than Ronaldo, and there’s little doubt that this is the case.

So, in addition to boasting superior vision and a much better range of passing than Ronaldo, Messi also actively sought to link play and create chances for his teammates. Conversely, Ronaldo became increasingly obsessed with scoring goals as his career progressed, as he became the attacking fulcrum for the sides and did very little during the different phases of play.

Messi would also use his presence and movement to create space for others, especially during his peak.

More specifically, he would drift into spaces and draw defenders towards him, opening spaces all over pitch and making it much easier to break down compact defences in a low block.

Sure, it can be argued that neither player has ever worked tirelessly off the ball and during defensive phases of play, but Messi’s movement and continued willingness to create space and drop into midfield when his teammates are in possession earmark him as a true great.

The Last Word

If you’re a football purist, it’s also hard to escape the graceful elegance of Messi’s movement, with his low centre of gravity and intuitive ball control creating a truly stunning spectacle to watch when the Argentine was in full flow.

Even when playing on smaller pitches, Messi was able to find space and drift past defenders, with his ability to conjure goals out of nothing virtually by himself putting him on a par with past legends such as Pele, Diego Maradona, Johan Cruyff and George Best.

In contrast, Ronaldo has always cut a prime physical specimen, and one who relies on almost robotic ruthlessness and efficiency in front of goal. In this respect, he’s the assassin to Messi’s artist, and regardless of any statistic or achievement, there’s no doubt which player is more pleasing to watch.

None of this is to say that Ronaldo isn’t an incredible player or one who will ultimately take his place among the greats when he retires. It’s just that he isn’t Messi, who by most objective metrics and observations, is the best of his generation and possible the all-time GOAT