Messi vs. CR7: Did Leo Settle the “Who's the Best?” Debate?; Did CR7 Choke?

On Saturday, we were all shown why football is the greatest sport in the world and why El Clásico is the most emotional, high-stakes game you’ll see all year.

One of the storylines of every Clásico since 2009 has been Lionel Messi versus Cristiano Ronaldo. The two top players in the world always attract debate by Culés and Madridistas on who is the best. While there is no doubt in the minds of most people about who is No. 1, Saturday’s game demonstrated to those fans who are continuously saying Ronaldo is the best that it is time to stop.

The fact that CR7 didn’t produce this past Saturday doesn’t mean Ronaldo is not a great player. He is a great player but he is clearly not the best. 

To be the best, you must be able to consistently play well against your rivals. It’s not even about beating your rival all of the time; it’s about stepping up and giving your rival a fight every time.

Messi does this all the time against Real Madrid; Ronaldo does not do this against FC Barcelona.

This year’s Real Madrid has been nothing less than outstanding. Ronaldo has also changed parts of his game, becoming more of a distributor and setting up his teammates. This has allowed players like Karim Benzema to have much improved seasons.

Without a doubt, this is the best Ronaldo has played overall in a white shirt and the best Madrid have played under Jose Mourinho.

This was the biggest Liga game in recent memory for Real Madrid. With a win, Real would have moved six points ahead of Barcelona—with the possibility of obtaining a nine-point lead with a victory over Sevilla this weekend—and been well on their way to locking up La Liga. Culés may deny it, but they know that the championship would have been lost with a loss at the Bernabéu.

That being said, Cristiano Ronaldo had the opportunity to come up big and put the dagger through the blaugrana heart—and he came up short.

Did Ronaldo Choke?

Spanish journalist/TV presenter Josep Pedrerol—host of a very Real Madrid-biased sports show—said at the end of the game on Saturday, “One team has Messi, the other doesn’t. It’s that simple.”

Pretty much, yeah.

The Madrid media has had a field day with Ronaldo. Images of Cristiano on the grass have been all over Spanish websites and newspapers. This is not the first time that the Madrid media has criticized CR7, but it is the first time when Madridistas have not been apologetic and have questioned his ability to be a big-game player.

I think this is both fair and unfair. Fair because he is inconsistent when he plays Barcelona, but unfair because saying Ronaldo is not big-game player is ridiculous. He has great performances at Manchester United as well as the Copa Del Rey in April.

But it's not enough for most fans. Madridistas have been disappointed by CR7 in big games for the most part.

For the past two days, many football fans have been comparing Ronaldo to LeBron James—a great player who does not step up at the most important moments. Unlike James, Cristiano has been able to win championships and be a major part of those titles. But like James, Ronaldo has had moments in which he has seemingly been unable to come through.

Some are saying Ronaldo choked versus Barcelona. My friends in Spain tell me that Ronaldo is being called a choker and accused of being “scared of Barcelona” by the Madrid media.

Did Ronaldo choke on Saturday? Yes, he choked on the shots, but not in his overall play.

Why do I say this?

Because you can’t call it a choke when he continuously does not step up against Barcelona.

And yes, no one has forgotten about the Copa Del Rey final. Everyone needs to give Ronaldo credit for that.

But Madrid fans—and most football fans—agree: One game does not make up for all the inconsistent play of Ronaldo in Clásicos. What hurts him, as well, is the fact that his biggest rival, Messi, plays so well when they are on the same pitch together.

“Who's No. 1?”

Ronaldo will always be compared to Messi. They are the top two players in the world and are a part of the biggest club rivalry in football. To be considered the best player, you must be able to dominate your biggest rival, which is what Messi does versus Madrid most of the time.

Could it be that Cristiano struggles against Barça because of the defense? Maybe, but probably not.

Could it be that Barcelona’s style of play just doesn’t allow Ronaldo and Madrid to get the ball enough in order for him to make plays? Perhaps.

I’m not going to say it’s this or it’s that. What I am saying is that CR7 doesn’t step up against his biggest rival.

Meanwhile, Messi is able to continue to compete on the pitch regardless of the defense of Real Madrid. Let’s not underestimate the Madrid defense. They have made it tough for Lionel in the past and essentially shut him down in the Copa Del Rey final.

Some will say that Messi’s position on the field allows him to have a bigger impact for his team than Ronaldo has at his position. While it does allow Messi to have more touches of the ball, I don’t think that Ronaldo being a winger prohibits him from having a similar impact on his team.

It’s about creating plays when you get the ball.

Messi creates more plays for both himself and his teammates when he touches the ball than Ronaldo does when he touches the ball.

Messi did not need to score a goal in the game to have the biggest impact in El Clásico. As usual, Leo was the engine of the team and set up his teammates. Messi sent the pass to Alexis Sánchez for the equalizer and set up the Dani Alves cross to Cesc Fàbregas for the third goal.

Ronaldo did not have to score a goal to have an impact; he could’ve done like Messi and been the setup man for his teammates.

Not only did this not happen, but Ronaldo also had two open goal misses that did not help his cause. 

It cannot be said that he didn't try to get his teammates involved. Ronaldo made good moves towards the goal but made poor passes. His free kicks were not very well taken either.

Ronaldo’s misses are the biggest images of the game. The first miss in the first half would have made it 2-0 and might have put Barça on a standing eight count in the game. The second miss—the potential equalizer—hurt the most because it was wide-open and at a closer range than the first shot. It was a header Cristiano puts at the back of the net nine out of 10 times.  

What about those saying that Ronaldo is scared of Barcelona. Is this true?

I don’t think so at all. Cristiano is an excellent player and I don’t see him being scared of any player, let alone team. But it could be that Ronaldo worries too much about not preforming up to his full potential against Barcelona, thus causing him to not play well.

Could it be nerves?

I honestly don’t know what it is, because a good player like Ronaldo should be able to be a major factor against any opponent.

It could also just be that Barcelona simply has Ronaldo’s number.

Or maybe, as Mourinho might say, it's all about luck. But I doubt it.

On Saturday, we were witness to another Clásico full of emotion, but with a very familiar outcome: Messi leading his team and Ronaldo not coming up big for his.

Did Ronaldo choke? No, because his play is consistently inconsistent against Barcelona.

Did Messi end the “Who’s the best?” argument?

I didn’t even know there was an argument to begin with.