Ronaldo v Messi, who is better?

Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, who is better? This is the debate that has raged between football fans for years and that even to day can not be conclusively resolved. The two of them are the best at different things, the two hold plenty of different records and both of them have made history. 

The boy from Rosario has won eight league titles in a Barcelona shirt, compared to the two that Ronaldo has won since joining Real Madrid. In addition he has more Copa del Rey wins (5) than the Portuguese star (2). But when it comes to the Champions League they are tied at four each. 

Concentrating on the individual accolades picked up by both players and it is a tie once again: five Ballon d'Ors each to go with four Golden Boots. Ronaldo has won 'The Best' award both times since its seperation from the Ballon d'Or while Messi has won the Golden Boy once. 

Going back to the titles however, both icons have a gap on their CVs which they could fill this year - the World Cup - and it is probably the last opportunity for both. Ronaldo has already tasted international success with Portugal, when he captained them to the Euro 2016 title. 

With Portugal, Ronaldo currently stands on 64 goals in 103 games; Messi meanwhile is looking at 34 in 81 for Argentina.

In the opening months of 2018, Messi has scored 16 goals and laid on nine assists for Barcelona, while Ronaldo has been on fire - 21 goals and three assists in three months. 

Looking solely at the current season, the numbers for Ronaldo are 37 goals and six assists in 35 games played for Real Madrid. For the 'Blaugrana', Messi has played 43 times, scoring 35 and assisting 17.

So what is there to take from this? Ronaldo is certainly the form player at the moment, but Messi has been more consistent over the course of the season. It is also clear that Ronaldo has a better record for his country than Messi does with Argentina - but then Barcelona have been the more succesful side since the two players have shared La Liga. 

What is clear is that we are looking at two players who will always be remembered for the feats they have achieved, marking the pages of the history books forever. 

And what are we left with? We are still left with both of them.