Ronaldinho or Messi in their primes?

Where's Peles Champions leagues?

2 libertadores trophies

I will however say that Ronaldinho was the most amazing to watch.

Agree. That overhead kick he scored, was about 2006/7? No way did he mean to control it the way he did, he messed up, but the improvisation was jaw dropping. It absolutely summed him up.

You never knew what he was going to do next. Whereas Messi is predictable, not in a bad sense, you just know what to expect with him and are powerless to stop it.

Disagree with the OP. Messi is 26; he's hardly reached his prime, let alone passed it. There's no indication that he's declining or stagnating either, if anything, his numbers (as well as his actual performances week in week out) suggest that he's still improving. So to be fair to Messi, the comparison should be made once Messi is 33, which is in 7 years.

Anyway, simple answer: Messi is the better player, by far.

Disagree with the OP. Messi is 26; he's hardly reached his prime, let alone passed it. There's no indication that he's declining or stagnating either, if anything, his numbers (as well as his actual performances week in week out) suggest that he's still improving. So to be fair to Messi, the comparison should be made once Messi is 33, which is in 7 years.

Anyway, simple answer: Messi is the better player, by far.

Hmmm.. Debateable that. It's true though I can't really say he's past his prime but we all know how messi was when he was 23-25, he was absolutely beasting it left right and centre and was doing it so perfectly that poor old ronaldo had no chance to get the world player of the year right? I compares those years to ronaldinho's 03/04-06-07 seasons and that's where I made my comparison. Yeah in terms of goals messi kills ronaldinho but I still found ronaldinho so much more enjoyable to watch. Having said that though, if ronaldinho didn't exist, messi would have been my number 1 choice

Messi fanboys make me cringe.

What;s interesting to note is that their devotion to Lionel is such that they can't even bring themselves to admire others like C.Ronaldo for the absolutely one in a lifetime players that they are. Every compliment is backhanded or has to be phrased in such a way to imply that Lionel is superior.

Surprised nobody has come out with ''But Messi is such a nice guy and Ronaldo is such an *******!!!!!!!!!'' yet

Yes, I know what you meant. I'm just saying that Messi's peak is probably yet to come. Last year, he was out for 4-5 months altogether because of his harmstring injury that didn't really heal, so people got the impression that he wasn't as good as before, while, in reality, he was as good as ever in those games he played. His long absence and breaks inbetween were a bit misleading I think. Now, this February has been the best/most prolific of his career so far. So there is no indication yet that Messi has already peaked or has entered his prime or passed it; if we go by his age (and numbers), his prime is probably yet to come.

But anyway, I know what you and other people mean when saying Ronaldinho was more enjoyable to watch, and I agree. But as I said, I think this has to do with Ronaldinho having been given complete freedom on the pitch by Rijkaard. He was never really forced to adapt his play to a certain system because of Rijkaard's laissez faire attitude. Messi, as a teen under Rijkaard, was similarly entertaining imo; but at 20 he was asked to adapt (and thus of course develop) his play and fit into a certain role (first supporting right winger, than false 9) in Guardiola's system, which is why he has had less freedom to express himself. Before Messi got famous (let's say 2006-8), he had just as much flair imo.

I don't even know why people in this thread brought Cristiano up, he has nothing to do with the subject. He's not even comparable to Messi or Ronaldinho since he's an inherently different type of player. Perhaps a lack of natural talent but he makes up for it with his superior work rate, his perfected technique, his athletic qualities & physique. In that sense, to me Cristiano is more of a role model; I obviously prefer Messi as a player but I admire Cristiano more for what he has achieved.

Messi fanboys make me cringe.

What;s interesting to note is that their devotion to Lionel is such that they can't even bring themselves to admire others like C.Ronaldo for the absolutely one in a lifetime players that they are. Every compliment is backhanded or has to be phrased in such a way to imply that Lionel is superior.

Surprised nobody has come out with ''But Messi is such a nice guy and Ronaldo is such an *******!!!!!!!!!'' yet