When thinking of legends to the game of fútbol there are many to consider. Ronaldhino, Kaka, Pele, Maradona and many more. However, the two names that come up the most as who is the best player ever are Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. 

While both players are respected and admired all around the world there can only be one player crowned as the best player ever, and that is Lionel Messi. 

We can compare their accomplishments all day and get nowhere due to the fact that both of these players have put up very impressive performances and stats. To really see who the better player is we need to get down to the nitty gritty side of it. To compare who is better we need to look at who brings a greater value to their team and how their decisions impact the game. 

The economist they used a framework that was originally meant for baseball to compare both of these players. They called it the Expected Points Added or EPA for short rate their goals by the winning probability. While Ronaldo has an EPA of 50.4 Messi sits above him with an EPA of 59.5. This means that Messi scores more important goals that ultimately in the end help his team win. 

Not only can Messi score important goals when his team needs him he makes better decisions and is more efficient on the field that Ronaldo. If we look at the EPM or Efficiency Per Match Messi scores higher than Ronaldo again.  Messi has an EPM of 238 and makes good decisions 63% of the times while Ronaldo makes good decisions 43% of the time and has an EPM of 118. Not only does the EPM make Messi standout if we look at other stats Messi averaged 56 passes per game, 3.1 key passes per game and had 19 assists. While Ronaldo averaged 17 key passes per game. While he did get 10 assist we must remember that he played 400 more minutes than the Argentine superstar. 

Every year we are mesmerized by the ability of Messi to not only be able to dribble through his opponents like nothing but to create space without the ball. In a game where there are 20 players on the field, it can be very hard to find or create space. The fact that Messi can do it effortlessly is mind blowing. 

Many people like to consider the amount of awards and trophies to determine who is better. When it comes to awards and trophies Messi come above Ronaldo again. Both superstars have 5 ballon d’Or. As they hold the throne for most ballon d’or ever won, we need to look at other awards that determine their worth. 

Messi has 6 European Golden Boots while Ronaldo has 4. You can win the European Golden Boot by scoring the most goals in a calendar year. As for team trophies Messi comes out on top again with 30 and beat Roanldo who has 25. 

Fútbol is a team sport and in order to make sure a player is good we need to look at how they make not only themselves better but their team as well. 

In the beginning of the season Barcelona lost their star player and had a rough start to their season. Messi is clearly the person who keeps that Barcelona team ticking bringing the best out of all of them. 

In a physically demanding game many consider Ronaldo to be a “better” fit for today's game. While many argue that a combination of his technical and physical abilities make him better this is simply not true. The portuguese superstar poses a threat with his heading ability and stands at 6 '2 and being 184 lbs of pure muscle. He is “more” suited and a “better” fit for today's game. 

If this were to be true then theoretically Ronaldo should be better than Messi. However we covered all of the nitty gritty things to determine who the better player is. With better decision making, more awards, and more impact on his team Messi is clearly the better player.