Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo: Fans Vote for Best Free-Kick Taker of All-Time
Though Cristiano Ronaldo recently ended his two-year free-kick drought I the game against Torino, his early day exploits give him the slight edge over his eternal rival. Lionel Messi, in recent years, is one of the highest free-kick scoring players in the world but in terms of their career total, the former Real Madrid star has 55 to the Argentine’s 53 strikes.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have been at the pinnacle of football for more than a decade now and even though the two are entering the twilight years, their stats are still second to none. The two giants of the game have always been compared to each other in different aspects of their games and there are some things in which the Argentine is better than the Portuguese and vice-versa, but one factor where the two are inseparable is free-kicks. Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi Records: Juventus and Barcelona Stars Reach New Milestones After Landmark Performances.
Though Cristiano Ronaldo recently ended his two-year free-kick drought I the game against Torino, his early day exploits give him the slight edge over his eternal rival. Lionel Messi, in recent years, has made scoring from free-kicks look like netting from the penalty spot. The Barcelona man has scored five this term but in terms of their career total, the former Real Madrid star has 55 to the Argentine’s 53 strikes. Lionel Messi Is Just Behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Piers Morgan Jumps Into GOAT Debate.
Despite his recent struggles, Ronaldo still has the upper hand over Messi when it comes to free-kicks and if the recently concluded votes by thetoptens.com is anything to go by, football fans have also given the Juventus start the edge over his rivals. Below is the list of top-10 free-kick takers as voted by the fans.
Best Free-Kick Takers in Football
10. Alessandro Del Piero
09. Sinisa Mihajlovic
08. Lionel Messi
07. Andrea Pirlo
06. Ronaldinho
05. Diego Maradona
04. Roberto Carlos
03. Cristiano Ronaldo
02. David Beckham
01. Juninho
According to these votes, Cristiano Ronaldo is considered by many fans to be a better free-kick taker than Lionel Messi. But since the turn of the decade, the Barcelona star has a better conversion ratio from free-kicks and with his current scoring run, the Argentine is expected to overtake his Portuguese compatriot in the coming months.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 19, 2020 05:38 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).