7 REASONS WHY RONALDO
DESERVES THE BALLON D'OR MORE OVER MESSI
As ever, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are overwhelming
favourites for the Ballon d’Or title.
Here is the case for Portugal star Ronaldo to win the 2012
award, in this article courtesy of fanatix.
7. Messi’s goal “record” is both meaningless and dubious
Fans of Lionel Messi will point to the Argentine’s
record-breaking goal-haul in 2012 as evidence of his Ballon d’Or credentials.
But barring the most nerdy football anorak, can anyone
honestly say they had heard of Gerd Mueller’s original feat before Messi began
closing in, and the media were whipped up into a sycophantic frenzy of
excitement? Records have always been about seasons, rather than calendar years.
Zambia's Chitalu (right) who claims to have scored 107 goals
What’s more, it’s dubious that Messi is the even
record-holder after legitimate-sounding claims from Brazil’s Zico and Zambia’s Godrey
Chitalu were waved away by FIFA. You can bet if Ronaldo had claimed the
“record”, then the governing body would be much more willing to examine
Chitalu’s claims.
6. Impact on Big games
The most bizarre accusation labelled at Ronaldo is that the
27-year-old does not perform on the biggest stage in the most crucial matches.
This is pure fallacy.
In Barcelona and Real Madrid’s biggest European matches of
last season, their Champions League semi-finals with Chelsea and Bayern Munich
respectively, Ronaldo outshone Messi.
While the Portuguese scored twice for Real in the second-leg
against Bayern (but admittedly missed a penalty in the shootout), Messi was
silenced by an average Chelsea outfit and missed a spot-kick that would have
surely seen Barca through.
Earlier in the year, Ronaldo broke the record for scoring in
consecutive El Clasicos, netting in six straight clashes with Barcelona,
proving he does not shirk the big occasion.
5. All-round game
Statistics, teamwork and personality aside, there is a
compelling argument that Ronaldo is simply a more complete footballer than his
Ballon d’Or rival Messi.
While Messi’s goals are predominantly cool finishes with his
left-foot, the Portuguese is capable of scoring with either foot or his head,
and is more adept at finding the net from distance than Messi.
Indeed, Ronaldo has scored more headed goals and more
free-kicks than Messi in the past three seasons and also has a better
conversion rate from the penalty spot.
4. Direct confrontation
In matches between Real Madrid and Barcelona in 2012,
Ronaldo has doubled Messi’s goal-haul, netting 8 times to Messi’s 4.
3. Crucial goals
Titles and not records are what matter in football and goals
are what win titles.
Ronaldo may have scored less goals than Messi in 2012 but
the former Manchester United man scored when it mattered; Messi did not.
The Portuguese netted in both legs of the SuperCopa to hand
Real Madrid the crown, while he bagged a number of key goals to help secure the
La Liga title, including a hattrick against Atletico Madrid in the derby, a
brace at Sevilla and, of course, the winner in April’s all-important El
Clasico.
Messi, conversely, had a golden opportunity to score his
side’s most crucial goal of last season – but fluffed his lines, missing a
penalty against Chelsea in the Champions League semi-final.
Real Madrid may have lost to Bayern Munich in the other
semi, but Ronaldo scored both goals to take the match to penalties.
2. Euro 2012
While a Spain team made up almost entirely of Barcelona
players again proved that it does not need Messi for success, the same cannot
be said of Portugal and Ronaldo.
The forward was sublime in Euro 2012, carrying an average
Portuguese side to within a penalty shootout of beating the World Champions in
the semi-final and finishing joint-top scorer in the process.
Ronaldo’s 3 goals moved him to third in the all-time list of
European Championship scorers – no mean feat considering it is the most
competitive international tournament in world football.
Including both qualification and the finals, the forward
also finished joint-top scorer with the Netherlands’ Klass-Jan Huntelaar.
Messi, meanwhile, floundered at the 2011 Copa America,
playing for an Argentina side packed with stars. The Barca man failed to score
a single goal, as the Argentines were eliminated in the quarter-finals by
Uruguay.
1. Titles
Lionel Messi said it himself: “My goals are to win titles
with the team. The Spanish league, Spanish Cup or Champions League is more
important than any personal records.”
Ronaldo, conversely, was comfortably Real’s best player as
Los Blancos claimed the all-important La Liga crown and the SuperCopa,
finishing 9 points clear of Barca in the league.
Fans of Messi will point out that the Argentine outscored
Ronaldo last season and therefore deserves more personal accolades. But in the
2010/11 season, Ronaldo comfortably outscored Messi in La Liga (scoring 40
goals to Messi’s 31) but the Barca star was handed the Ballon d’Or on the basis
of titles won.
If the criteria keeps changing to suit Messi, Ronaldo will
never stand a chance.
yeah he deserves it!!
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