I don't think so. You should have named Pele to make a comparison with Ronaldo. Messi is no GOAT the reason being simply that he can thrive only in barca like environment when he got the same ambience in Argentina squad he delivered and when he doesn't get so he just fails miserably like in psg. Not that case with Ronaldo.
Ronaldo’s greatest achievement is that he shared a stage with Messi. That’s it.
As an individual player there is no comparison between the two. Both are elite goal scorers, arguably the two greatest goal scorers ever. The rate at which they scored goals and for so long was staggering.
However, Messi is also one of the greatest if not the greatest playmaker ever. That is what makes him so special. Ronaldo isn’t even 1% the playmaker, the creator Messi is.
Ronaldo without goals is nothing more than a decent player; Messi without goals is still one of the greatest ever to touch a football and that is what separates the two.
People talk about Ronaldo doing it in different leagues. Firstly, that is no criteria. If that was the case than someone like SAF cannot be considered a great manager because he never left his comfort zone of British football.
He should have gone to Italy or Spain and proved himself. But of course that would be dumb thing to say just like it is a dumb thing to say that Messi should have proved himself elsewhere.
Secondly, what is the point of playing in different leagues when you are only playing for the best teams in that league?
Ronaldo played for United when they were in their prime and the strongest club in England. His peak for United started as soon Mourinho’s reign came to an end and United emerged as the dominant club.
He then left for Madrid, the richest and most powerful club in Spain where he only won 2 league titles in 10 years because he couldn’t outshine Messi, and the only time they faced off in UCL, Messi knocked him out.
After Madrid he went to Juventus when they were at their peak and winning Serie A year in year out. They didn’t even need Ronaldo.
Going to different leagues and proving yourself is only worth bragging about when you go to a weak team and make them strong, like Maradona did with Napoli.
Do you really think Messi wouldn’t have won it all with 2006-2009 United, or 2018-20 Juventus or 2009-2018 Madrid?
The only question mark on Messi was whether he could deliver a World Cup for his country. Since 2016, Ronaldo fans bragged about the Euro 2016 win even though he didn’t play in the final and wasn’t even a contender for the player of the tournament.
Messi won Copa and was the best player and then he won the World Cup and was also the best player. Let’s not forget that he picked up a World Cup Golden Ball in 2014. Ronaldo has never come close to winning a Golden Ball at a World Cup.
Ronaldo’s lasting memory in international football was getting benched in the 2022 World Cup and his replacement (Ramos) scoring a hat-trick while Messi won the very same World Cup.
There are only three contenders for the greatest footballers of all time: Messi, Maradona and Pele and between the three Messi is the clear winner. Ronaldo is not even in contention.
www.independent.co.uk
