Leo Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo: Who has more titles?

The debate is always open between Leo Messiand Cristiano Ronaldo. It's difficult to find an agreement over who's the best, who's the No.1. 

Those that defend the Argentine crack arcue that Messi has a vision of play, an exquisite touch and a great deal of humilty on the pitch. Those that protect the Portuguese star talk about his drive, his fitness and his pride. 

As it's impossible to reach an agreement between both sides,one of the most objective ways to compare them is to look at their honours, both on an individual and a collective level. Both have played at the top level for their whole careers. In terms of club titles, Messi has won 30 (all with Barcelona) and Ronaldo has won 24 (eight with Manchester United and 16 with Madrid). In this chapter, the Argentine is six ahead.

As for titles with their respective countries, the victory (2-1) once again goes to Messi. The forward from Rosario won the U20 World Cup and a Gold medal at the Olympics. Ronaldo, meanwhile, won the European Championships. From a subjective point of view, you could argue Ronaldo's trophy is worth more than Messi's. Numerically, Messi has won more with Argentina than Ronaldo with Portugal. 

And as for individual prizes -- the most relevant -- the European player wins by two (23-21). Curiously, this is the part which Messi says drives him the least: he has always prioritised team awards over individual accolades. 

History of Barcelona FC

In 1899 Joan Gamper, a Swiss man, decided to introduce football to Barcelona by setting up a team. The club was officially founded on 29th November 1899.It grew from strength to strength, winning titles such as the Macaya Cup in 1902, the Pyrenees Cup in 1910 - 1912.Barcelona FC built their first stadium in 1909 with a capacity of 6,000 people.

During the 1920's the team's fame and success grew. They won the first Championship League in the 1928 - 1929 season. With the club's new popularity it was necessary to build a new stadium. In 1922 the 'Les Corts' stadium was built, with a capacity of 22,000 people.

It is important to remember that Barcelona FC has survived a Civil War. In 1936 Franco's troops shot the club president, Josep Sunyol due to his membership of a left wing party.All Barcelona FC fans are proud of what is called the 'Five Cups' Season. This was the period between 1951 - 1952 when Barcelona FC won the Cup, the League, the Latin Cup, the Martini Rosso and the Eva Duarte.

In 1957 Camp Nou was built, with an initial capacity of 90,000 people.Barcelona's success grew from strength to strength. By 1983 the team was able to afford players such as Bernd Schuster and Diego Maradona.

In 1988 - 1989 the arrival of the legendary Johan Cruyff as the team coach saw many changes made on the team. Barca were strong at this point and winning many competitions. Barca fans began chanting "now we've got a new team".In 1996 - 97 two new arrivals to the team had a boosting effect - Bobby Robson on the bench and Ronaldo on the pitch. This was a successful year for the team.

In 2003 a new wave of players joined the team. These included Rijkaard and Ronaldinho, Puyol and Xavi.In 2004 - 2005 players such as Deco and Eto'o joined the team.In the 2004 - 2005 season FC Barcelona won the league. This happened again in 2005 - 2006 when the club won the League again and the European Cup in Paris.

Cristiano Ronaldo Biography

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro was born on February 5, 1985, in Madeira, Portugal to Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro and José Diniz Aveiro. Cristiano has an elder brother, Hugo and two elder sisters, Elma and Liliana Cátia. His name was inspired by the former US-president, Ronald Reagan, whom his father was influenced by.

The island of Madeira was also the place where Cristiano first learned to master his skills as a footballer. He spent his early years playing for his local team, Nacional, and by the time he turned 12 years old, he already made his name for himself as one of Madeira's top footballers . It wasn't long before he started to catch the attention of other big Portuguese clubs. Among Sporting was Benfica, a team Cristiano and his father followed as a young boy.

 However he eventually chose to play for Sporting which was a team his mother loved and followed as she was growing up, to play with the likes of Figo was the dream for her son.
Ronaldo became Manchester United's first-ever Portuguese player. Initially, he requested for the number 28 as his jersey number because he didn't feel that he could live up to the pressure of previous players such as George Best and David Beckham who wore the number 7 jersey.

He was then spotted by former Liverpool manager, Gerard Houllier at the age of sixteen but Liverpool had no intentions to sign him at that time because they thought he was too young and he needed more time to develop his skills. However, in the summer of 2003, when Sporting played against Manchester United and defeated them, Cristiano caught the attention of Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson.

The year 2006 to 2008 proved to be a rather controversial year for the star. In the 2006 World Cup, Cristiano faced accusations regarding his sportsmanship. In a quarter-final match against England, he was heavily criticized for sending of his club team mate, Wayne Rooney who was playing for the England team. 

It wasn't too long until fans started accepting Cristiano again. In 2007, he won PFA Young Player of the Year, PFA Player of the Year, PFA Fans' Player of the Year, Portuguese Footballer of the Year, FWA Footballer of the Year, Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year and Manchester United's Players' Player of the Year. The year 2008 also saw him taking back the PFA Player Of The Year Award for the second time running. 

That same year, Ronaldo also had to deal with controversies regarding his club transfer to Spanish giants, Real Madrid. He eventually chose to stay with Manchester United and stressed to the public that he had no intentions of leaving the club.

Cristiano now lives with his cousin, Nuno and his brother in law Ze. When he is not on the field, he is a very family oriented person. Growing up, when he was about to choose football as his career, he said that it was very difficult for him as that would mean lesser time with his family, especially his mother, whom he says play a major role in his life.

Neymar Biography

Born on February 5, 1992, in São Paulo, Brazil, Neymar drew attention for his impressive soccer abilities at an early age. He emerged as a star for Santos FC as a teenager, winning four straight Player of the Year awards while becoming one of Brazil's most popular public figures. After moving to Europe to join FC Barcelona for the start of the 2013-14 season, he helped the Spanish powerhouse win both domestic and international titles.

Neymar da Silva Santos Jr. was born on February 5, 1992, in Mogi das Cruzes, São Paulo, Brazil. The son of a former professional soccer player, Neymar followed in his father's footsteps by playing street games and futsal, an indoor version of the game. He joined the Portuguesa Santista youth club in 1999, and within a few years was one of the most highly regarded young talents in the country.

Neymar joined the youth system of Santos FC at age 11. News of his abilities spread to Europe, and he was offered the chance to continue his development with Real Madrid C.F. at age 14, but the Santos team's management reportedly convinced Neymar to stay put with a large bonus.

Neymar made his senior debut for Santos in 2009 and lived up to the hype by earning the league's Best Young Player award. 

He emerged as a full-blown star in 2010, helping Santos claim the league and Copa do Brasil championships en route to the first of three straight scoring titles and four straight Player of the Year awards. That season he also made his debut for the senior national team and debuted a Mohawk-style haircut, which quickly became popular among younger fans.

In 2011, the flashy forward produced what would be voted the FIFA Goal of the Year and led Santos to its first Copa Libertadores championship in 48 years. However, he also began to experience the backlash that accompanies fame. Neymar was criticized for his play during Brazil's quarterfinals loss in the 2011 Copa America tournament, and was scolded in the media for fathering a child out of wedlock.

Neymar scored his 100th professional goal on his 20th birthday in 2012 and finished the year with a career-best total of 43. Although Santos won its third straight league title, the young star again was subject to criticism when Brazil lost the 2012 Summer Olympics gold-medal game to an underdog Mexico team.

Lionel Messi

Lionel Andrés Messi , born on 24 June 1987, is an Argentine footballer who currently plays for Barcelona and the Argentine national team. He is one of the best football players of his generation and is frequently considered as the world's best contemporary player.

 Lionel Messi, whose playing style and ability have drawn comparisons to Diego Maradona, received Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations by the age of 21 and won both by the age of 22. Diego Maradona once declared that Messi was his "successor."

Lionel Messi's talent was early detected by his father.

 When he began playing with the local team, his potential was quickly identified by Barcelona . At the age of 11, he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency, which is a medical condition in which the body does not produce enough growth hormone and whose treatment nessecitates a lot of money. 

He left Rosario-based Newell's Old Boys's youth team in 2000 and moved with his family to Europe, as Barcelona offered treatment for his growth hormone deficiency. Making his debut in the 2004–05 season, he broke the La Liga record for the youngest footballer to play a league game, and also the youngest to score a league goal. 

Major honours soon followed as Barcelona won La Liga in Messi's debut season, and won a double of the league and Champions League in 2006. His breakthrough season was in 2006–07; he became a first team regular, scoring a hat-trick in El Clásico and finishing with 14 goals in 26 league games. Perhaps his most successful season was the 2008–09 season, in which Messi scored 38 goals to play an integral part in a treble-winning campaign.

Messi was the top scorer of the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship with six goals, including two in the final game. Shortly thereafter, he became an established member of Argentina's senior international team. In 2006, he became the youngest Argentine to play in the FIFA World Cup and he won a runners-up medal at the Copa América tournament the following year. In 2008, in Beijing, he won his first international honour, an Olympic gold medal, with the Argentina Olympic football team.