A Big Fish in a Big Pond: The Messi/ Ronaldo Rivalry

A Big Fish in a Big Pond: The Messi/ Ronaldo Rivalry

I love Lionel Messi. I admire him. He is the best footballer I have ever seen. Messi is not just a footballer, he is a phenomenon. He is from another planet. He is just too good. He is the greatest.

There have been comparisons between Messi and Christiano Ronaldo. Some claim Ronaldo is a better player than Messi. I beg to disagree. I admit that Ronaldo is an amazing footballer. It is only an amazing player who can score 150 goals in 149 matches. That’s a remarkable feat. Ronaldo is extremely gifted. He is one of the best footballers around but there is one who is better than him: Lionel Messi. Messi is miles ahead of Ronaldo. You can call that a subjective assessment and I will not disagree with you.

I believe the debate on who is better between Ronaldo and Messi would not have arisen if he had not moved from the English premiership to the Spanish la liga. It is usually said in my workplace that it is better to be a big fish in a small pond than to be a big fish in a big pond. This is because in a big pond, there will be many big fishes while you will have very few big fishes in a small pond. I strongly believe this applies to the Ronaldo/Messi rivalry. While I do not mean that the Spanish la liga is bigger than the English premiership, what I want to bring out is the fact that Ronaldo’s move to the la liga means two of football’s greatest names now play in the same league.

When Ronaldo was in Manchester United, his exploits were usually hailed and people would usually wonder how it would be like if he was playing in the same league as Messi. He was the biggest thing in English football. He should have enjoyed his dominance of English football but no, he moved over to the la liga and he has since been eclipsed by the phenomenal Messi. Frankly speaking, Ronaldo has displayed wonderful and amazing feats since coming to the la liga. But unfortunately, his performances have been overshadowed by Messi’s.

Take Messi out of the picture and what Ronaldo has achieved in the la liga would have earned him more accolades than he is receiving now because no matter how well Ronaldo has performed, Messi has performed better. Messi has succeeded in diverting most of the attention in the la liga to himself, so Ronaldo’s achievements have not received the reviews and attention they deserve.

What can we learn from the scenario depicted above? Don't go to where you will be choked. Don't shine where your brightness will not be seen.