Lionel Messi v Cristiano Ronaldo: Who was the greatest this season?

Messi: There were fewer of them this season, in part down to the knee injury that ruled Messi out for a prolonged stint midway through the campaign, but when the Barcelona No. 10 found the net it was normally in style. There was that free-kick stunner against Sevilla. And that other free-kick stunner against Athletic Bilbao. And that other one against Sevilla. He might not have tallied up as many as in previous seasons, but there’s still nobody better at scoring goals. Especially free-kicks. Did I mention that he’s good at free-kicks?

Ronaldo: There were 51 of them in total, with 35 of them coming in 36 Liga appearances. And yet the Real Madrid No. 7 was still pipped to the Pichichi by that man at Barcelona. Nope, not *that* guy - Luis Suarez. That tally of 35 league goals is down on his total of 48 last season and so maybe Ronaldo is finally in decline. Maybe he’s finished. Kevin Phillips once scored as many as that in a season. Ronaldo is now no better than Kevin Phillips, although Kevin Phillips didn’t cap that season by scoring the winning penalty kick in a Champions League final. He definitely didn’t celebrate by ripping off his shirt and flexing his Adonis body. I would have remembered that.

Messi: Not just content with being the best forward in the world, Messi seemingly set his sights on proving himself as the best midfielder in the world as well this season. The 2016 version of Messi was indeed rather different to previous versions, dropping deeper more often and for longer. Andres Iniesta’s toes are probably quite sore after an entire season of his team-mate treading on them. Whilst in years gone by Messi’s season would have been defined by great goals (and there were more than a few of them) this campaign was more about threaded passes and clipped through balls. If Messi can do it - going from frontline frontman to midfield maestro - then surely Wayne Rooney can too, right?

Ronaldo: Ronaldo’s season, much like Real Madrid’s as a whole, can be taken as two contrasting halves - before Rafael Benitez and after Rafael Benitez. For the Portuguese winger, Benitez’s tenure, no matter how fleeting, meant double training sessions, scoring droughts and questionable tactics. Zinedine Zidane, on the other hand, meant more freedom, more ass-kissing and more goals. Oh, and another Champions League title. 2015/16 certainly wasn’t a vintage Ronaldo season per se but he finished it by winning the biggest prize in football with one kick. And that is somehow quintessentially Ronaldo.

Messi: Success at Barcelona isn’t measured like it is at other clubs. Anywhere else a domestic double would be heralded as a ticker tape triumph, but not at Camp Nou. It illustrates just how highly this team is regarded that missing out on a clean sweep of silverware is considered something of a flop, particularly given the swagger with which Luis Enrique’s side was playing earlier this year. Even their Liga success felt tainted by their near concession of a 12-point lead. And so Barcelona’s players go on their summer holidays with their medals hanging round their necks, but their tails tucked between their legs. It can’t be very comfortable to sunbathe with a tail tucked between your legs.

Ronaldo: It’s difficult to gauge the success of Real Madrid’s season. Ordinarily the lifting of an 11th European Cup would be enough to render any campaign successful, but such singular analysis doesn’t really apply to Zidane’s side. Florentino Perez is likely still planning a summer cull. James Rodriguez and Isco will turn up at pre-season only to find their fobs for the club car park no longer work. “What do you mean you don’t know who I am? I play for Real Madrid.” Yeah, sure you do pal.

Messi: It takes a lot to dislodge Messi as the darling of the Catalan media - 58 goals in 50 games, to be precise. They might still melt at the sight of the Argentine’s soft smile, or swoon at one of his trademark free-kick strikes, but Suarez is the new shining star of the Barcelona team. Who they’ll lobby for when the Ballon d’Or nominations list gets passed round will be interesting to observe. Who will they put forward as their guy? Barca is still Messi’s team, but 2016 will go down as Suarez’s year.

Ronaldo: Ronaldo’s relationship with the Madrid media is a difficult one to truly understand. Sometimes they love him, boosting his ego by printing shirtless pictures of him on their front pages, calling Real Madrid “a club forged in the mould of football’s best player.” At other times they hate him, mocking his goal celebrations, his selfie-stylings and even his relationship with his son.

Messi: They used to say about Paul Scholes that on the pitch you couldn’t catch him, and off the pitch he disappeared. Even by that measure, though, Messi makes the former Manchester United midfielder look like something of a socialite. Maybe he’s just really into his television boxsets. Or maybe he takes on domestic DIY projects as a hobby, re-tiling his bathroom, cleaning the oven, mowing the lawn. Whatever he does, it’s difficult to tell such is his lack of a public presence.

Ronaldo: Ronaldo is very much Messi’s antithesis in a lot of ways, but none as much as in terms of public presence. The Real Madrid No. 7 shares so much of his life it can’t be long until Big Brother install some cameras in his house. That’s surely the next step after that documentary made about him. A 24-hour live YouTube channel would also work. If you thought he posted enough gym selfies on Instagram as it is wait until he Periscopes his whole life.

So for the 2015/16 season Ronaldo is the greatest football player on earth. He scored more goals, lifted the bigger trophy and took more selfies. And isn’t that how athletes are judged these days?