author: Nick Szczepanik
source: The Times
date: 22 May 2009
editing: fcbtransfers.blogspot.com
Champions League finals can often be settled by relative unknowns - put your hands up if you had heard of Juliano Belletti before his late goal beat Arsenal - but many neutrals are hoping that next Wednesday's match between Barcelona and Manchester United comes down to a battle of skills between the two teams' great entertainers, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Which one is more likely to make the difference? Well, according to statistics it looks as though Messi may just have the edge.
According to the table above (click to enlarge), in a similar number of appearances and minutes on the field, Messi is ahead of Ronaldo not only in goals scored (31 to 22) but also in goals created (16 to 8) and even chances carved out (97 to 74).
The Argentina midfield player has not had as many shots on goal, but seems to be more clinical in his finishing, converting 29% of shots compared to to Ronaldo’s 14%. 26 of Messi's goals have been scored from inside the penalty area, compared to 14 for the Portugal winger. So although both have identical shooting accuracy, it is hardly surprising that Messi scores more if he is shooting from closer range.
Of course, if you are looking for the long-range spectacular, Ronaldo is your man, as anyone who saw the explosive shot from 30 yards away to FC Porto will remember. And ask goalkeepers such as David James of England about Ronaldo's potency from direct free-kicks. Furthermore, he is more of a danger when the ball is in the air, with three headed goals to Messi's one.
But one especially revealing fact is that Messi does not appear to need the adulation of a home crowd or the familiarity of his home ground. He has scored 61% of his goals away from the Nou Camp compared to Ronaldo’s 23% away from Old Trafford - and that could make all the difference at Rome's Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday.
read the full and original article here
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Tuesday, 26 May 2009
Messi vs Ronaldo: The Statistics
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6 comments:
hey guys can anyone find the full liga celebration video including the speeches ?
check fcbarcelona.com they may have it, in spanish though.
as a barca fan i don't need to see statistics to know messi is better than ronaldo.
if you want celebration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygmyao8ovMQ
hidalgo4
of course messi is better than ronaldo. but i would suggest this to messi n the entire team to take shots more often. yaa, Ramzi has already said it. we need to take some more shots. its high time since we got a lucky goal from a deflection from an opponent.
man, its obvious that messi has the upper hand on cristiano , the stats show that =) btw can anyone tell how can i post this article on my facebook account or any social network ? thx in advance, Visca el Barca :D
These statistical table doesn't seem flawless
mins per goal: Messi 3353/31=108
Ronaldo 3369/22=167
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