A Phenomenon

Eduardo Ortiz
Professor John Hunt
ENGL 1301 - 9AM
7 June 2015
A phenomenon
The Portuguese footballer and Real Madrid’s striker Cristiano Ronaldo is the most marketable soccer player in the world. Nonetheless, it depends whom you ask, the fans or the experts’ opinion will be split between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, the Argentinian forward from Barcelona, as the two greatest soccer players of our time.   The argument will be about individual merits of both players in the attempt to reason who is believed to be the best player.
Cristiano cannot be marked one-on-one, only because he has the ability, quality and pace to win most of the individual battles against his opponents. Teams have attempted to cover him with two players, and make sure a midfield player restricts his movement as soon as he gets the ball. Similarly, Messi is also a very dangerous player but his tactics are distinctively different. He uses other players in the team to increase his threat; he is talented, but does not have the physicality of Cristiano to impose upon defenses. Instead he brings other teammates into his moves, playing ‘one-two’ passes to create space and beat players; he is a specialist at that. Messi is difficult to mark; he is a genius at making space and exploiting it.
In regards to the quality of free-kick goals, Ronaldo can choose between power and finesse. He once revealed that he strikes the ball on the valve to get more power and movement, additionally, he is also capable of the classic curling free-kick. Although, Messi is capable of producing beautiful free-kicks that bend past opposing goalkeepers, he lacks the variation of Ronaldo.
Both Ronaldo and Messi are among the highest paid athletes in the world. In May 2015, Cristiano Ronaldo was named the highest paid football player in the world. His total earnings were close to $80 million, with $52 million in salary alone, while the rest was made up from endorsements, bonuses and prices for the previous twelve...