Jamie Carragher has claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo is faring far better than his long-time adversary Lionel Messi this season.
Lionel Messi made headlines in the summer after he quit Barcelona, where he spent his entire career to date. Joining PSG may not have come as a surprise, although his form at Parc des Princes will have shocked some.
Four goals and two assists in ten games might be glowing numbers for any other player, but not Messi. The Argentine superstar was used to scoring regularly during his time at Barcelona, but he is yet to find that same rhythm at PSG.
He did score a few good goals, including the one against Manchester City in this season’s Champions League victory in Paris but is yet to come out firing on all cylinders. This week, his sub-par display against Pep Guardiola’s side raised a few questions despite notching an assist for Kylian Mbappe’s goal.
After all, Messi had been expected to form a great partnership with former Barcelona teammate Neymar and Mbappe in PSG’s quest to win Ligue 1 and Champions League.
Meanwhile, Messi’s long-term rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, also moved clubs after re-signing for Manchester United in the summer. The return to Old Trafford certainly excited fans, making them believe the Portuguese might bring the glory days back to the club.
However, Ronaldo has faced a tough period coinciding with the club’s overall poor form. Bad results ensured Ole Gunnar Solskjaer lost his job, although the Portuguese kept his promise of scoring lots of goals. The former Real Madrid star has ten goals in all competitions, with six of those coming in the Champions League.
After yet another impressive performance against Villarreal in midweek, Ronaldo has reinstated his status as one of the best players in the Champions League. He also drew comparison with Messi, who is yet to perform as well as him.
Jamie Carragher was one of the people who claimed Ronaldo has had a better season than Messi. After the midweek games, the Liverpool legend’s spoke to CBS Sport, stating that the Manchester United star was shining despite being a ‘passenger’ without the ball.
Carragher said, “I’ve said this about Ronaldo as well but at least Ronaldo is getting goals. Ronaldo is a passenger without the ball, his goals are making up for that at this minute.”
There is no denying that Messi is nowhere near his best levels, and Cristiano Ronaldo has clearly been the better of the two thus far. It remains to be seen if Messi can rediscover his form anytime soon, thereby paving the way for PSG to become a dominant force in Europe.
