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BARCELONA, SPAIN - NOVEMBER 29:  Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid (R) and Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona look on during the La Liga match between Barcelona and Real Madrid at the Camp Nou Stadium on November 29, 2010 in Barcelona, Spain.  Barcelona won the
BARCELONA, SPAIN - NOVEMBER 29: Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid (R) and Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona look on during the La Liga match between Barcelona and Real Madrid at the Camp Nou Stadium on November 29, 2010 in Barcelona, Spain. Barcelona won theDavid Ramos/Getty Images

Four Ways Ronaldo Can Overtake Messi as the Best in the World

Stefan GouyetMay 3, 2011

In the past few years, it has appeared as though Lionel Messi has clearly established himself as the best player in the world. The second best player in the world is almost certainly Cristiano Ronaldo. No matter what people say about his temper and attitude, Ronaldo is amazing. He cuts past defenders superbly and has a wonderful dipping shot.

Although I am a Barcelona fan, I can still admit that Ronaldo is a top-class player. He still has a lot to do to reassert himself as the world's number one.

Here are four ways he can do that.

1. Never Complain and Keep Himself Modest

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MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM - NOVEMBER 30:  Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United applauds Referee Howard Webb during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester City and Manchester United at The City of Manchester Stadium on November 30, 2008 in
MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM - NOVEMBER 30: Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United applauds Referee Howard Webb during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester City and Manchester United at The City of Manchester Stadium on November 30, 2008 in

I know this will be a huge challenge for C. Ronaldo. Especially when he played for Manchester United, he was portrayed as an arrogant and selfish person. It is clear that Mourinho has calmed him down and his "selfish" tag had all but vanished, with his assists becoming almost as common as his goals.

Lionel Messi has made himself well liked by people because of his attitude. The Barcelona man is modest and keeps his comments to a minimum. Of course, Messi is the best player because of his skill, but his attitude makes him well liked. Mimicking Messi's attitude would surely go a long way for the Madrid striker.

2. Look for His Teammates When Madrid Counter

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LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 13: Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid runs with the ball during the UEFA Champions League quarter final second leg match between Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid at White Hart Lane on April 13, 2011 in London, England.  (Photo by S
LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 13: Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid runs with the ball during the UEFA Champions League quarter final second leg match between Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid at White Hart Lane on April 13, 2011 in London, England. (Photo by S

I know that Ronaldo has become less selfish, but he needs to be more aware of his teammates when Madrid counter. I watched him play several times and I realized that he sometimes holds the ball for far too long.

Ronaldo is normally aware of everybody around him, but I feel that he becomes excited when he feels that a break is on for the team. Just when a perfect pass to Di Maria or Ozil looks imminent, a defender steals the ball and the counter attack has been thwarted. He just needs to make that pass a little bit faster. This is one of the only aspects of Cristiano Ronaldo's game that really should be reviewed.

3. Keep Running/jogging When He Loses the Ball

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MADRID, SPAIN - APRIL 27:  Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid looks dejected during the UEFA Champions League Semi Final first leg match between Real Madrid and Barcelona at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on April 27, 2011 in Madrid, Spain.  (Photo by Alex Lives
MADRID, SPAIN - APRIL 27: Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid looks dejected during the UEFA Champions League Semi Final first leg match between Real Madrid and Barcelona at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on April 27, 2011 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Alex Lives

Ronaldo has a habit of standing still or walking slowly when he doesn't receive a pass or loses the ball. First of all, this helps portray him as a lazy and arrogant man; he just walks and doesn't try to win the ball back.In addition, it feels as if Madrid are down a man for some time. Ronaldo takes time coming back in position and is sometimes in the opposing half for quite a while.

Just compare this to Messi. The Barcelona man tries to win the ball back as soon as he loses it. He is barely ever shown standing still or walking. In conclusion, this isn't a huge problem for Ronaldo, but it would be good for him to break the habit.

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4. Efficiency in Shooting

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MADRID, SPAIN - MARCH 03:  Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid strikes to score from the penalty spot during the la Liga match between Real Madrid and Malaga at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on March 3, 2011 in Madrid, Spain.  (Photo by Jasper Juinen/Getty Image
MADRID, SPAIN - MARCH 03: Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid strikes to score from the penalty spot during the la Liga match between Real Madrid and Malaga at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on March 3, 2011 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Jasper Juinen/Getty Image

2010/2011 Season All Competitions (as of April 27,2011):

Ronaldo:

Goals: 42 Shots: 284 Shots on Target: 108

Messi:

Goals: 47 Shots: 194 Shots on Target: 106

We see that Messi and Ronaldo have similar goal statistics as well as shots on target stats. The shots statistics aren't similar. Sure 47 goals in 194 shots isn't superb, especially considering that it is the best player in the world that we are discussing.

But Ronaldo has 42 goals in 284 shots which is quite poor. He loves taking shots but it seems that he misses an overwhelming majority. Ronaldo needs to decide whether he should take less shots or if he should start practicing his shooting. The efficiency part of his game certainly does need work.

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