The Last ten hat-tricks of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo proves who is the best big game player between these two.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have produced some fierce rivalry over the last decade. The Argentine International has been featuring for Barcelona, whilst the Portuguese has played for Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus over the same period of time.
Both these players share ten Ballon d’Or between them which is an astounding foot. Between 2007 and 2017, that particular award was shared between these two players until Luka Modric became the latest player to lift it last year.
Lionel Messi scored a miraculous hat-trick against Real Betis in the La Liga which helped them beat 4-1 away from home. The 31-year-old bagged two brilliant goals; scored a spectacular free-kick and looped one over the goalkeeper which left the opponents stunned.
Besides, Real Betis fans gave a standing ovation and chanted ‘Messi, Messi’ for that spectacular show on Sunday. On the other hand, Cristiano Ronaldo was rested for the trip to Genoa following the spectacular hat-trick against his old rivals Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.
The Portuguese International looked determined to overcome Diego Simeone’s side and scored two with his head and added a penalty at the end. It was enough to turn a 2-0 deficit at Allianz Stadium and enter the Quarterfinals of the competition.
The 34-year-old had invited his family as he was confident about bagging a hat-trick last week and even Lionel Messi praised his prowess which helped to beat Atletico Madrid in the tie.
Even though these two players do not compete in the same league, several comparisons can be made between them.
HATTRICKS – LIONEL MESSI AND CRISTIANO RONALDO:
Lionel Messi’s last ten hat-tricks:
Espanyol – La Liga
Eibar – La Liga
Ecuador – World Cup qualifiers
Leganes – La Liga
Haiti – International friendly
Deportivo – La Liga
PSV – Champions League group stage
Levante – La Liga
Sevilla – La Liga
Real Betis – La Liga
Cristiano Ronaldo’s last 10 hat-tricks:
Wolfsburg – Champions League quarter final
Alaves – La Liga
Atletico Madrid – La Liga
Kashima Antlers – Club World Cup final
Bayern Munich – Champions League quarter final
Atletico Madrid – Champions League semi final
Real Sociedad – La Liga
Girona – La Liga
Spain – World Cup
Atletico Madrid – Champions League last 16
The list shows that Cristiano Ronaldo is a big game player than his rival Lionel Messi and is more immune to pressure.
But, with all statistics coming into the play, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher came with an exceptional quote which would summarize Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Writing for the English publication Daily Telegraph, he believes that Cristiano Ronaldo is the greatest all scorer of all time, whilst Lionel Messi is a better all-around player. Nobody can certainly reject his claim.
“Ronaldo and Messi – the greatest goalscorer of all time and the greater player of all time – show no sign of giving up their dominance of European competition, their individual displays in midweek further demonstrating their exceptional skill and motivation levels,” he wrote.
“They bring belief to their clubs and fear to opposition. The fact remains unless the English clubs can find a way to stop Ronaldo and Messi, this year’s final will be Juventus versus Barcelona.”
Fans are excited about the prospect of seeing Juventus and Barcelona in the finals of the Champions League. But, nobody can be certain about that as European competition is all about surprises. Last year, Roma knocked out Barcelona in the Quarterfinals of the competitions which came as a surprise to the rest of the world.
Juventus will have to overcome Ajax in the Quarterfinals, while Barcelona will face Manchester United. Should both these sides overcome, the Old Lady will face either Manchester City or Tottenham Hotspur in the last four and the Blaugrana will either play Porto or Liverpool.
