Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi Compared by Former Spain Coach Javier Clemente

Former Spain manager Javier Clemente has insisted that Barcelona man Lionel Messi is the best player in the world and has suggested Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo should be “happy and proud to be second.” 

The two players have been the standout footballers of the current generation and debate has raged as to who is superior. Speaking to Cadena Ser (h/t Sacha Pisani of Goal), Clemente insisted Ronaldo has the better of Messi in some areas, but, from a purely football perspective, the Barcelona man has the edge:

"

Cristiano should be happy and proud to be second in the word. Cristiano has better abdominals, a height advantage, and he headers better. There are thing that Cristiano does better, but Messi beats him in technique, ability and vision, and that's that.

He should be happy and proud to be second in the word, there's no more noble thing in sport to recognise the quality of your rivals.

"

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Reflecting on 2016, plenty would argue that Ronaldo is currently the world’s standout footballer. In terms of honours, the forward had a year to remember, helping Real Madrid to UEFA Champions League glory and Portugal to their first-ever major title in the UEFA European Championship.

The 31-year-old’s goalscoring contribution to both of those triumphs cannot be overstated either. These numbers from Squawka Football sum up just how effective Ronaldo was last year:

Indeed, his achievements contributed to another Ballon d’Or win for the Madrid man, beating Messi and Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann to the award.

Nonetheless, plenty still consider Messi to be the very best. In 2016 he helped Barcelona win La Liga and the Copa del Rey, and while he suffered major tournament final heartbreak with Argentina for the third consecutive summer, he’s been magnificent for the first portion of the 2016-17 season.

Messi was the most prolific goalscorer in world football last year, edging out some elite names:

While Ronaldo is an outstanding goalscorer, Messi has become more involved in general play as he’s got older. It means he can sometimes have more influence on games than the Madrid man, whose main job in this current Los Blancos setup is to be in the right place at the right time to finish chances.

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Ronaldo deserves immense credit for the way in which he sniffs out and finishes chances, and there’s little doubt he’s the most gifted goalscorer of his generation. But the joy of Messi extends beyond his numbers, as Clemente noted. Manchester United’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a former team-mate of the Barcelona man, recently explained what makes him so special:

What will be fascinating is to see how each of these icons of the game fare in the latter stages of their careers. Ronaldo will be at Madrid for a long time yet, having signed a new five-year deal with the club last year, while Barca are making progress on a renewal for Messi, according to German Bona of Sport.

Ronaldo’s transformation into a No. 9 will likely continue and that’s something that will allow him to find the back of the net with frequency. Should Messi continue to drop deeper in the team, his numbers may not stack up against the Madrid man’s in the future, although his incomparable natural talent will ensure there are many magical moments to savour yet.