Messi or Ronaldo?

If the team is Barcelona, then it Messi. For Manchester United, definitely, Ronaldo. Cristiano is finding his Man U form at last. Big names moving to big clubs are likely to suffer the ‘Thierry Henry effect’. This is a phenomenon whereby one is a ‘cult leader’ in his team and then moves on to be an ordinary ‘Jack and Jill’ at another man’s cult centre.

There has been cases of Ronaldinho, Robinho, Adebayor, Berbetov, Hargreaves, Ballack, Shevshenko, Kaka, the list is endless. Ronaldo seemed to be immune but quickly faded until the arrival of Jose Mourinho, his countryman, at the Santiago Bernebeu. Save for that, he was a mighty flop.

Big name footballers thrive on their idol status where they are. This definitely drives the Portuguese Ronaldo. He wants to be important, and only when he feels so does he act important. He plays to outshine somebody all the time. He is exquisite and elegant in many ways.

As for Lionel Messi, he is a humbled flambouyant playful magician who plays for himself. He is like a kitten, least concerned about whether we are watching or approving him. Messi keeps himself happy only for himself. Selfless as his nature is, his delights comes from personal special execution of technique in dribbling, passing or scoring.

For Ronaldo, it is all glory, at whatever the cost and the price, and he does not care whether we like it or not. His arrogance is excellent for an underdog team, especially when the teams rises to the occasion and win. All must revolve around him. Only then is all well. For that reason, Ronaldo tries far too hard to get his way, by hook or crook. Messi deals in hook only and he does it well.

Given the 2, I would choose Ronaldo if I succeeded Sir Alex Ferguson, and Lionel Messi if I took over Barcelona. That is far too biased to make an opinion, but I will get neutral. Let us take the English top 5. United has already taken Ronaldo, so for City, I would take Messi, Spurs Ronaldo, Liverpool without doubt, Messi as well as Chelsea.

I am not sure you are clear why. Manchester City has the personnel necessary for Messi to play his football without altering much play or pattern of the whole structure. Many players would be in Ronaldo’s way and their pace would be far too slow for him.

As for Spurs, it is where Ronaldo would thrive exceedingly well. Harry Redknapp plays too much fluidity from midfield going forward and the way Gareth Bale and Luka Modric move, Ronaldo would have a field day exploiting the spaces they provide, or else, they would be the ones that wreck havoc, together with van der Vaart. Messi would be lost in that team, unless Steven Pienaar and Aaron Lennon play upfront and then rest being defensive players.

Liverpool have reasonable solidity and their confidence would do with a cutting edge of the diminutive Argentinean. Messi would win all Liverpool matches single handedly. A plus would be the supply line to Luiz Suarez being opened. David Ngog and Dirk Kyut would also have a field day. Ronaldo would completely kill the team and fade in that mud that The Reds play nowadays. He would be as disastrous as his first year at Real Madrid.

Like City, Chelsea have all Messi needs to tear a lion apart. With Michael Essien solid in the defensive role, Flourent Mouluda would flow everywhere and Didier Drogba would be at his best. There is no way Ronaldo would be recognisable in that line-up and his role seemed to be cancelled by Malouda, Salomon Kaloe and Drogba. He would never be an extra dimension there, but a duplication of an unfunctioning mechanism.