The classic competition between Argentine Lionel Messi and Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo is entering
its final years, and with the passing of another year, the debate began about who outperformed the other
in the time of the Corona epidemic.
The two stars faced many failures in their clubs, but Messi’s failures were greater, while Ronaldo persevered
to maintain his high goal record, even if it did not bear fruit in the titles he aspired to achieve.
Objectives
In terms of goals, “Madeira missile” did not stop hitting the net, scoring 44 goals in 45 matches, at a rate close
to the goal in the match, which is an incredible number for a 35-year-old player.
While Messi scored 27 goals in 47 games during 2020, at a relatively low rate, reaching 0.57 goals per match.
Titles
Messi came out empty-handed from 2020, without any domestic or continental title with Barcelona, and also
suffered a historic defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich in the European Champions League, with a score of 8-2.
As for Ronaldo, his 31 goals led Juventus to the ninth consecutive league title, which is the only tournament that
the Portuguese star won in 2020.
Internationally
At the international level, Ronaldo also outperformed Messi, scoring 3 goals for his country, Portugal, while
Messi settled for one goal.
Prizes
Ronaldo came second in the vote for the best player in the world award, which is awarded by the International
Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) annually, behind Polish Robert Lewandowski, while Messi came third.
But Messi won the best European player award, which is awarded by the European Football Association (UEFA),
as the Argentine finished fourth, while Ronaldo came in tenth.
Direct encounter
In the only confrontation between the two stars on the field, Ronaldo was able to lead Juventus to a 3-0 victory
at Barcelona, in a position in which the Portuguese scored two goals from two penalties, while Messi failed to lead
his team to victory.
And while Messi’s problems with the management of his Barcelona team increase, due to the interference
of former president Josep Maria Bartomeu, Ronaldo appears to be more stable with Juventus, despite the team’s
departure from the top of the league recently.
The two stars will enter a new year of competition, at the top of the world, but it will not be severe in previous years,
due to their old age, and their relative decline among the top European teams.
