"People will pay to watch him" - Mohammed Polo decisively settles the debate between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
The Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messi debate has continued to confound fans and pundits alike. Ghanaian football icon Mohamed Polo has had his say on the eternal debate, and the 65-year-old firmly believes Messi is the better of the two legends.
Speaking in an interview with Ernest Brew Smith (via Ghana Pulse), the Black Stars legend revealed his preferred footballer:
"There shouldn't be a debate on this. These are different qualities of players. Ronaldo's style is different from that of Messi. What makes football interesting is entertainment.
“The dribbling and stuff are where you see the art of football. This is what I want to introduce because for Ghana's brand of football there should be skills, flair, artistry, creativity and confidence.
Cristiano Ronaldo really won more individual Trophies (12) than Lionel Messi scored goals (11) this season 😭 https://t.co/CqUMRWxvD6
1978 AFCON winner Polo added:
“When you have these four the Ghanaian brand of football is complete. For Cristiano Ronaldo, if he does not score, he contributes nothing. But Lionel Messi, if he doesn't score he will create a goal, and then the art side will show. He has the artistry of football which will make people will pay to watch him."
"Of course [Messi is better], but you cannot take anything away from Ronaldo because he makes football interesting as well. Comparatively, I don't see why they should be compared.”
In 2012, when Lionel Messi scored 91 goals, Cristiano Ronaldo had 130 more shots...
There shouldn't even be any debate. https://t.co/1uE4zYobRN
While his opinion might not be popular among Cristiano Ronaldo's fans, those who love Lionel Messi will be very pleased. Nevertheless, as he pointed out, both players are phenomenal and we can all count ourselves as very lucky to have experienced both at the same time.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are now in the latter stages of their careers
Gone are the days when both superstars would light up the La Liga and the Champions League, delivering some of the best performances ever seen. The duo are still in European top flight football, but their glory has since diminished.
Their duopoly over the Ballon d'Or ended when Luka Modric stunned the world with his performances in 2018 and lifted the coveted award. Since then, while Lionel Messi has gone on to win the award twice, Ronaldo's tally has remained stagnant.
The Argentine has gone on to Paris Saint-Germain, where his performances have been less Messi-esque. He could muster only 11 goals all season in 34 appearances across competitions. Cristiano Ronaldo also performed at a sub-par level, far from his lofty standards. However, he was the highest goalscorer with 24 strikes in 38 games in all competitions at a Manchester United outfit that struggled throughout last season.
Both stars will soon pave the way for a new set of world-class players, and the Ballon d'Or is unlikely to see either player on the podium again.