Cristiano Ronaldo or Leo Messi: Who's Worth More and Why?

It's a clash of the titans.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo aren't the biggest physical specimens, but on the field of play, they are true giants in today's game.

Argentine Leo Messi, arguably one of the best players the world has ever seen, has plied his trade at Barcelona since the age of 13 and doesn't look like leaving any time soon.

The 24-year-old has won pretty much every accolade possible.

Meanwhile, over in Madrid, Portuguese sensation Cristiano Ronaldo has broken almost every Real Madrid goalscoring record ever.

Three years older than his Barca counterpart, Ronaldo played for Manchester United for six seasons, becoming a fan favourite in the process, before moving onto Real Madrid for a whopping £80 million in the summer of 2009.

However, the enormous price tag hasn't held him down, as Ronaldo has gone on to score a remarkable 85 goals in 93 appearances for the club, including 34 in 33 games already this term.

So who's better? Messi or Ronaldo?

The two are both fantastically skilled players. Messi's incredible dribbling skills have led to him scoring some sublime solo goals in the past few years, whilst Ronaldo's inch-perfect free-kicks have given him world-wide fame.

But saying who you think is a better footballer is like comparing a Ferrari to a Lamborghini— everyone's got their own opinion.

For what it's worth, I think Messi is the better of the two, although perhaps Ronaldo is more technically sound.

But having said that, Ronaldo has probably had the better of the league season so far, as Real lead their Catalonian rivals by ten points.

So who's worth more?

The question really should be, what player is worth more to their team?

Ronaldo has become much more of a team player in the last twelve months, whereas before he would try to take on entire teams by himself.

Messi, on the other hand, has always been part of a "team." The current Barcelona side, whose philosophy is one of passing the other team to death, has constantly needed Messi to provide a little creative spark, but the diminutive playmaker has never tried to be the be-all and end-all of the side.

But a question as large as this can't be covered in a simple article: It's what you, the fans, think.

So is Messi worth more? Or is it Ronaldo? Or is it someone else? Sound off in the comments below.

However, one thing's for sure—it's an absolute pleasure to even just watch these two play the beautiful game.