Speaking of La Liga, this dispute constantly arises: which player is the best in the world, Messi or Ronaldo? As Portugal has already been knocked out of the World Cup and is heading home, Lionel Messi-led Argentina is preparing for the quarterfinal battles. This gives him a chance to prove that he is number one.
In the opinion of the world champion with the Italian national team Alessandro Nesta, after the Argentine's eighth-final match, Messi's performance laid the foundation for Angel Di Maria's winning goal and advancement to the quarterfinals, where they will face the Belgian team.
Messi's four accurate shots allow him to share second place in the battle for the Golden Boot. These goals are what forces Nesta to start the discussion again about who is the best player in the world.
"Looking at his whole career, Messi has achieved the highest peak," said Nesta. "Unfortunately, when I played against him four times in one season, I was not doing well and was already quite old."
"He has something special that sets him apart from ordinary players. Cristiano Ronaldo is also a great champion, but Messi is special, he is the biggest problem for defenders. Messi can do ten sprints in a row, it is impossible to defend against him."
As the Swiss also found out, even at the end of extra time, the "Barcelona wizard" can find new powers to help his team win. In the eighth-final match, Messi managed to attract several defenders to himself and made a successful pass to Di Maria. "You are already very tired, while he is fresh and active. There is no equal to him, he controls the ball in a way that no one else can," added Nesta.
"Ronaldo has radically changed his playing style. I remember when I met him in Manchester, he loved tricks, dribbling, but now he is much more efficient. He always shoots towards the goal and that's why he is very dangerous. Ronaldo now uses his abilities to be useful, instead of giving a show to the audience."
If Messi could add the World Cup to his collection on July 13, the constant dispute would come to an end.
