It’s rare that a sport gets two athletes who are so distinctly tiers and tiers above the rest that a real-time rivalry can be tracked and spurred on. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo don’t seem to be in a direct rivalry between themselves, but the sport certainly frames their prowess on the pitch as a worthy rivalry for debate.
It’s human nature to see it this way, with so many of our most legendary tales posing two greats against each other. So, how does Messi vs. Ronaldo compare to others great clashes that have captivated people around the world.
In Legend
Rivalries often spawn from a mismatch of styles in our legends of old. Easily one of the most memorable is that between the wolf and the three pigs. The rivalry sees the pigs forced to use ingenuity to outfox the wolf. Such a clear concept, the rivalry continues to be drawn on today, such as with the Huff N Even More Puff Grand game.
Created by Light & Wonder, the game leans into the legend with its upgrade opportunities, letting the player build to bigger and better prizes. Like in many legends, by the end, there’s a clear winner, with the pigs building a stone house that trumps the wolf’s destructive efforts.
Going even further back to some of our most famous mythical tales, Athena and Ares (both gods of war) clashed regularly in a battle of one-upmanship. Athena’s strategic approach often foiled the might and brute force of Ares. Such an angle was further showcased in the Trojan War.
While Achilles’ brute force and skill as a warrior took care of Hector and the Amazonian queen, Penthesilea, he would fall to an arrow from Paris. What would end up turning the tide in the epic siege would be the king of Ithaca, Odysseus’ Trojan Horse. Subterfuge opened the gates and ultimately ended the rivalry over Helen.
In modern sports, the grandeur of Messi vs. Ronaldo levels the importance of all of these legendary clashes. Of course, this one likely won’t end with a clear winner, with their comparative qualities and career paths always leaving room for debate.
In Sport
Perhaps the greatest rivalry between two individuals in the history of sport is a sport where they can literally go head-to-head and battle it out before millions of spectators. With boxing being the arena, arguably, Joe Frazier vs. Muhammad Ali stands as the greatest rivalry in the history of sports.
These two didn’t like one another, with Ali taking every opportunity to goad Frazier, while Frazier was happy to play the villain and make good on his ability to upset the status quo. Of course, Ali was seen as the best, but across three fights and 41 rounds, Smokin’ Joe went one up and called it in the 14th of 15 rounds to give Ali the 2-1 win.
Within the sport that stages Messi vs. Ronaldo, a clash that partially took place during Ronaldo’s time in England is often framed as a legendary battle. Manchester United’s Roy Keane against Patrick Vieira, of Arsenal, was unashamedly intense, with the fight for midfield supremacy between the two gigantic clubs defined by them.
What’s unique about Messi vs. Ronaldo is that they don’t clash in an aggressive way on the pitch, and their legendary battle is purely based on skill and longevity. Unlike the rivalries of old, even with some hard stats, the winner is always up for debate.