MESSI is better than RONALDO

Cristiano Ronaldo might be the best player on earth - but only because Lionel Messi is from another planet. Real Madrid star Ronaldo is obviously a brilliant player. The Portugal international has turned from that skinny yet promising teenager we all saw make his Manchester United debut against Bolton in 2003 to an extraordinary powerful athlete capable of winning football matches on his own. It's been a remarkable transformation and Ronaldo's hard work and dedication to attempting to become the world's best player has clearly paid off. To an extent, at least. Because while Barcelona's Messi is around, Ronaldo will always need to settle for second best. That's nothing to be ashamed of, though. Messi is arguably the best player in football history. A genuine phenomenon. Here's why Messi is the world's best player. First and foremost, Lionel Messi scores more goals than Cristiano Ronaldo. There's not a whole lot between them, admittedly, but since Ronaldo's arrival to La Liga he has scored 152 league goals, while Messi has netted 17 times more. Now let's look at goals scored in all competitions since the start of the 2009/10 campaign. Messi, in those four-and-a-bit seasons, has scored a remarkable 244 goals for Barcelona. Ronaldo, on the other hand, has scored 212. As Messi scores more goals, you might naturally expect that Ronaldo sets more up for his teammates. However, this isn't the case by any means. Messi is a true team player, as his assist stats indicate. Since the start of the 2009/10 campaign, Messi has set up a whopping 58 La Liga goals for his teammates. Ronaldo? Just the 30 assists since his arrival in Spain for a world record "80m fee. Since the start of the 2009/10 season, Messi has won the following: three La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey, four Spanish Supercups, one Champions League, two UEFA Super Cups and two FIFA World Club Cups. Oh, and he's also won four consecutive Ballon d'Or awards - as well as countless other individual accolades. Ronaldo, meanwhile, has won one La Liga title, one Copa del Rey title, and a Spanish Supercup. The Portuguese won the Ballon d'Or with Manchester United in 2008, but has never come close to Messi since he moved to Real Madrid. Sure, Messi has been part of a better team, but Barcelona under both Pep Guardiola and Tito Vilanova had Messi to thank on many - many - occasions. One of the things which sets good players apart from great players is their decision making - and part of Messi's genius is his innate ability to chose the right option on a scarily consistent basis. You will rarely see him shoot when the pass is available, or vice-versa, which is why Messi has so many goals and assists to his name. Ronaldo, though, likes to shoot from everywhere - even if it doesn't always benefit the team. Put simply, he's a lot more selfish than Messi on the pitch, and this can often hinder both himself and Real Madrid. Lionel Messi's close control, his ability to dribble out of tight situations, his vision, his range of passing, his ability to leave a trail of defenders on their backsides, his finishing from inside and outside the penalty area, his composure, his ability to remain calm under pressure and much more all makes him the best player in world football - and subsequently a better footballer than Ronaldo. Ronaldo might be faster, able to jump higher and smash the ball harder - but that athletic ability doesn't make him a better footballer than Messi in terms of technical talent. Ronaldo is a machine, but Messi was born with a once-in-a-generation gift. So,just accept that messi is better than ronaldo.