Throughout the history of soccer, their have been few times where two footballers duked it out for best player in the world. We are so very blessed to witness these athletes at the peak of their game. It seems that in the soccer world nowadays there are two types of people: those who think Lionel Messi is the best and those who think Cristiano Ronaldo is the best. I think this debate is a futile one because they can both be considered the best as of now. While they will forever battle each other for the Ballon d'Or, who can really say which player is THE best. I believe that pitting these two players against each other is futile one.
One of these days Messi and Ronaldo will retire and the game will return to normal. Their records will remain for years and years rather than getting broken every few weeks, and amazing plays and hat tricks will once again be a thing of beauty and the highlight of that player's entire season rather than an expectation. The Ballon d'Or, the prize awarded to the footballer considered to be the best, will once again become a FIFA prize rather than the sole property of two players. Until this day happens, we should all stop comparing these two legends and enjoy watching what they can achieve while they are still playing.
Decades have passed since Pele retired -- he was a man who changed the game. His play inspired many kids to play soccer, and I would imagine two of those kids were Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. These two have been locked into years of debate, and while the answer is clear that they're both the greatest in the game, it's incredible to think of how these two can inspire even more kids to play soccer.
Who knows, maybe in a few years, even more will come along that will resume the legacy of excellence that these players have created.
