Cristiano Ronaldo Work Rate 'Borders on Sickness,' Nothing Like Messi, Says Deco

Cristiano Ronaldo’s former Portugal team-mate Deco has claimed the Real Madrid man’s desire to be the best “borders on sickness” and has insisted he is nothing like Barcelona starlet Lionel Messi.

Deco is a player lucky enough to have played with both of them, enjoying a spell at the Blaugrana alongside Messi too. But the former midfielder revealed it’s almost impossible to put the two players in direct comparison due to the major differences between them, per ESPN Brasil (h/t Tom Webber of Goal):

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They are completely different. Though Messi takes care of himself like a normal athlete, Ronaldo is unbelievable. It borders on sickness because he always wants to be the best at his job. He competes in everything.

I think it's great to see both players in action, it's almost impossible to compare them. If you look at one's game it's totally different from the other's. There are no parameters for comparison.

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Neither player has enjoyed an ideal beginning to the current term. Ronaldo has scored goals in bunches, but overall his performances have been patchy, whereas Messi is currently on the sidelines with an injury. The Argentina international is reportedly targeting a return to action for Barcelona’s clash with Real at the Santiago Bernabeu on November 22.

Ronaldo is the player who does seem the most committed of the two. While his dribbling, ability in the air and unbelievable goalscoring are often lauded, the dedication to keeping himself in tremendous shape is what has set him apart from other attacking players in world football.

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The results throughout his career have been pretty spectacular, as we can see courtesy of BreatheSport:

Indeed, when Ronaldo first burst onto the scene at United he was a scrawny, erratic winger. But he's grown into a physical force of nature and a player who has stepped up in critical moments for his team.

Messi’s talents are more cerebral. While Ronaldo regularly uses his strength and speed to get the better of opponents and surge into goalscoring positions, Messi relies on his intelligence on the ball and ingenuity in attacking areas. As such, as Deco alludes to, it’s very tough to draw comparisons between the pair.

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Ronaldo has a greater range of intangible qualities than most in the game, but in direct comparison to Messi they don’t quite stand up. Indeed, as noted by Alex Shaw of ESPN, there aren’t many players in the world as self assured as Ronaldo is:

For some, those kind of traits are wonderful; others find that brashness a little irritating. It’s the same with playing styles, as some supporters love seeing a player dip his shoulder, surge past a man and hammer a thunderous finish into the top corner. Again, there are those who prefer a delicate passing move finished off with a dinked finish.

Ronaldo and Messi both capture those contrasting essences of football superbly and that’s why debate will continue to rage about who is the best. But as the former seems to be becoming more of an orthodox centre-forward and the latter looks to be playing an increasingly more withdrawn role in matches, perhaps those contrasts will become greater as their careers rumble on.