Messi Is a Better Player Than Cristiano Ronaldo
Messi Is a Better Player Than Cristiano Ronaldo

The discussion focused on a particular set of statistics, the goal. Messi is the better of the two at club and international level, as far as data helps us make educated guesses about player performance.
However, if goals are the basis for comparing players, it is not enough to just look at the number of goals scored. It also analyzes conversion rates by whether the shot is from inside or outside the penalty area, goal expectation, i.e. whether the average player will score if given a chance, quality of opponents, etc. also need to
club level
Messi's average quality of chances (i.e. the quality of chances created) was higher than Ronaldo's from 2009 to his 2013, according to the results of a mathematical study recently published in The Washington Post. . Ronaldo had more shots, but mostly from distance, managing only 30 goals from 587 shots, while Messi scored 28 from 287 long shots. Messi was more efficient because he had a higher percentage of successful shots. H. 9.75% to 5.11%.
According to the survey, Messi made 29 shots from inside the box, compared to Ronaldo's 20, showing that he is good at scoring goals. Messi is also a good finisher. Between 2009/10 and 2013/14, Messi scored an average of 40% more goals than expected, compared to Ronaldo's 20% (see Washington Post - Despite a great season, Cristiano Ronaldo is no better than Lionel Messi; Michael Carey, November 7), 2014).
Last season, Ronaldo broke the rules and surpassed Messi. This earned him the Ballon d'Or in 2013. However, this means that Messi missed part of the season through injury, and by the end of the 2013/14 season he was back in action, nearly matching Ronaldo's record of 31 goals and his 28 goals. must be seen in context. Ronaldo is also off to a great start to the season, keeping a clean sheet with 12 goals, Messi's seven. Returned each club.
With Neymar and Luis Suarez on either side of his 4-3-3 formation for Barcelona, Messi is playing an important role as a playmaker. His goals per game have decreased from his just under 1.50 in 2012-13 to his 0.86 in 2014-15, but his assists are his 2013-14. From just under 0.50, he has risen to 0.86 this season.
Real Madrid reversed the trend. With the addition of Gareth Bale and James Rodriks in midfield, Ronaldo is more focused on forwards and less on distribution. He now has more shots from his area in penalties and this season he has scored 12 goals from his area, but 2 without penalties. Goals per game increased from his 1.00 in 2013/14 to his 2.20 in 2014/15, while assists fell from his 0.25 to 0.17 over the same period (ESPN FC GLOBAL – Realigning Stars:
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo face role changes