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We are really smitten by goal.com's weekly head-to-head series comparing Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. We wish we could do something similar, but as die-hard Barca fans, surely it will be difficult to maintain the same level of objectivity as So, inspired by goal.com, we decided to feature our own head-to-head. The categories are as follows:
Art of Applying Hair Gel
Enough said.
Scores: Cristiano Ronaldo: 10 Lionel Messi 0
Off-field banter
Cristiano Ronaldo is known for his camaraderie with the opposition and engaging off-field banter. Sample this friendly exchange with Osasuna player Pandiani as reported by yahoo.es.
Cristiano: And you, how much do you make?
Pandiani: I don’t know, but I win as many titles as you lately.
Cristiano: My mommy is prettier than your mommy.
Pandiani: Guess what, we just WON against your team!
Cristiano: la-la-la-la-not listening-la-la-la-la…
Pandiani: Whatever!
Okay, we made the last few lines up, but you get the gist. Lionel Messi, meanwhile, is nowhere close to Cristiano in this area, as unfortunate as that is. He did say "Hello" once to Sergio Aguero in the game against Atletico Madrid, but we don't think that really counts.
Scores: Cristiano Ronaldo: 10 Lionel Messi 5
Celebrations
Leo likes to thank his late grandmother after every goal. While that is no doubt endearing, it gets a bit tiring after more than 160 goals. Cristiano, on the other hand, likes to reinvent himself, to put it mildly. The monster crab, for one, was a big hit. We like the one where he looks like he is going to transform into a werewolf too, that's very cool. Afraid we have to go with Cristiano here again.
Scores: Cristiano Ronaldo: 9 Lionel Messi 6
Annoying referees
Veteran FIFA referee Claus Bo Larsen, after officiating top level matches for 14 years, thinks Ronaldo is the most annoying player he’s ever seen.
Leo Messi is also rather annoying with his "I don't dive" stance, jumping up like a spring after being hacked down, but unfortunately, we don't have any suitable soundbites from referees. So we regretfully have to give this round too to Cristiano Ronaldo.“Cristiano Ronaldo is always out to get a cheap free-kick, especially at home. We tend to talk before games about how he would go down so easily. We know how not to be biased. But we have to be prepared too. He is given a clean slate at the start of every game, but when he would lie down after failing to win a free-kick, he would smile at me because he knows I don’t fall for his theatrics.”
Scores: Cristiano Ronaldo: 10, Lionel Messi: 5
Dissing by team-mates and associations
TV Sports reporter and Iker Casillas girlfriend Sara Carbonero had this to say of Cristiano. "Cristiano Ronaldo has been simply selfish and individualistic on the field and, well, that’s why Real Madrid have signed him". Surprisingly, Lionel Messi doesn't have a clean slate either. It is rumored that Andres Iniesta's uncle had a few choicy things to say after Leo won the Ballon d'Or. We call this a tie.
Scores: Cristiano Ronaldo: 7, Lionel Messi: 7
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Oh wait, goal.com already did that one.
Final Tally:
Never mind with the final tally, looks like Cristiano Ronaldo wins this round of head-to-head by a landslide. For the next round, we might have to consider inane categories slightly related to football to maybe give Leo a small advantage.
