423 lines
16 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
423 lines
16 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
sport
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football
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international
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8311754
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-----
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# Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal face Lionel Messi's Argentina in Geneva, but
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which of the pair is the world's greatest?
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## They are so exceptional, in such a stratospheric league of their own, that
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the only realistic question now, the one which transfixes Spain week by week
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as it ogles their freakish feet and feats, is which of Cristiano Ronaldo and
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Lionel Messi is really the greatest player in the world.
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![Ronaldo v Messi in Geneva][1]
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Ultimate duel: Cristiano Ronaldo's talents will face comparisons with Lionel
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Messi when they share a pitch in Geneva in an international friendly Photo:
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AFP
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[![Ian Chadband][2]][3]
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By [Ian Chadband][4] 5:43PM GMT 08 Feb 2011
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[Follow Ian Chadband on Twitter][5]
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[Comments][6]
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This 'anything you can do' duet where Messi, for Barcelona, and
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**[Ronaldo][7]**, for Real Madrid, will in turn watch the other working
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wonders in La Liga and then seek to surpass it with something even more
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extravagant, has become modern football's matchless, unprecedented treat.
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And, on Wednesday night, with the claims for both combatants in Spain becoming
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more strident, it somehow seems appropriate that the convention should now
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move to neutral territory for an evening in Geneva where Messi's Argentina
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will play Ronaldo's Portugal.
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Considering everyone seems unanimous that this latest round of international
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friendlies is about as useful as an ashtray on a motorbike, the first time the
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dynamic duo have ever crossed swords on national duty may be European
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football's sole compensation this week.
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Intriguingly, their lack of impact for their countries in major championships
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is just about the last stick with which to beat their reputations.
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It did not stop Atletico Madrid coach Quique Sanchez Flores declaring after
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Messi had sliced apart his side with a hat-trick on Saturday: "He is the best
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player I've ever seen, the Di Stefano of the 21st century."
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## Related Articles
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* [Messi stole 2010 show][8]
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11 Jan 2011
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* [Spain's anger at Messi gong][9]
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11 Jan 2011
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* [Lionel Messi wins Ballon d'Or][10]
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10 Jan 2011
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* [Ronaldo pushes Guardiola][11]
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30 Nov 2010
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* [Ronaldo: El Clsico not private duel with Messi][12]
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29 Nov 2010
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* [Messi and Ronaldo hit form ahead of El Clsico][13]
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22 Nov 2010
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Naturally, this was as a red rag to Real, a club who regard Alfredo Di Stefano
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as the nonpareil.
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So after Ronaldo had responded with a brilliant double against Real Sociedad
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the following night, making him the fastest Madrid player ever to 50 league
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goals in just 51 games, it allowed Real's general manager Jorge Valdano to hit
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back.
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"It is not Messi (who is the 21st century Di Stefano)," he said. "It is
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Cristiano Ronaldo, who significantly wears the same shirt as Di Stefano. We
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wouldn't swap Cristiano for anyone."
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The debate, naturally, zips along familiar old tribal lines.
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In the Castilian corner, they plump for the strapping Ronaldo, all dazzle and
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ego and show off individualism; and in the Catalan, little Messi, the
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consummate team man with a once in a lifetime gift which just says 'quiet,
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genius at work'.
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It is tough to be impartial about these two.
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In Madrid, Ronaldo is Superman, the bloke who can do anything and is having to
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do so just to keep them dreaming in a football world where Messi's Barca
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represents only their ultimate nightmare.
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Ronaldo, sighed _Marca_ journalist Roberto Palomar, didn't just shoot, build
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the plays, score and make goals but you could swear he also folded the shirts,
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cleaned the boots and cut the grass.
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"The only thing left for him to do is man the ticket office," he wrote.
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Yet the Catalan press have taken glee in pointing out after each of Messi's
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hyped head-to-head triumphs, especially after Barca's 5-0 win in El Clasico in
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November, that Ronaldo is "light years from Leo's level".
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The argument, they insist, is not over Messi v Ronaldo but over Messi v the
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best in history.
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Better, though, than all this cheap point scoring to just acknowledge, as
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Emilio Butragueno, the old Real Madrid goalscoring "Vulture" and now club
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director suggests, that "we should all feel privileged to have them in La
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Liga".
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Quite. Because when have we seen anything like their record-breaking double
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act in modern times?
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Both have 24 La Liga goals -- not just leading the way in the domestic race
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for the 'Pichichi' as top Spanish goalscorer (actually, Marca, the Real-
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adoring newspaper who run the award has absurdly credited Ronaldo with a 25th
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which was obviously an own goal) but also way ahead in the race for the Golden
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Shoe as Europe's top marksman.
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In total, Messi has netted 37 in 31 games in all competitions for Barca this
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season while Ronaldo has 34 in 35. Records tumble routinely to them but never
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mind the stats, just feel the quality; their weekly highlights reel is to die
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for.
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So who is the best? Ronaldo carries a good team, while Messi decorates a great
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one.
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Ronaldo is more complete and can head beauties. Ah, but could he, as Maradona
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would ask, play kickaround with Jesus like little Leo?
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Or does it matter at all? Probably not but it is tempting to be swayed by the
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observation of Walter Pandiani, Osasuna's Uruguayan veteran, who revealed that
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Ronaldo had tried to humiliate him after a scuffle in a recent match by asking
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him how much he earned.
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"What Cristiano should do is end his provocations, know where one comes from
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and be more humble," offered Pandiani. "And learn from the world's best
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player, which is Messi."
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Ouch! It's hard not to want to see arrogance outplayed by humility.
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[X][14] Share & bookmark
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Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter
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[What are these?][15]
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* Share: [Share][14] [ ][16] [ ][17]
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[Tweet][18]
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Ronaldos-Portugal-face-Lionel-Messis-Argentina-in-Geneva-but-which-of-the-
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pair-is-the-worlds-greatest.html
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Telegraph
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## [International][19]
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* ### [Sport »][20]
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* ### [Football »][21]
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* ### [Cristiano Ronaldo »][7]
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* ### [Ian Chadband »][3]
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* ### [Argentina »][22]
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In sport
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[![Sepp Blatter - Fifa's family of football on course for messy divorce in
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countdown to controversial presidential elections][23] ][24]
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### [Fifa allegations: a timeline][24]
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[![Jack Warner: profile][25] ][26]
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### [Jack Warner: profile][26]
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[![Mohamed Bin Hammam: profile of the Qatari under investigation over bribery
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allegations in Fifa presidential race][27] ][28]
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### [Mohamed Bin Hammam: profile][28]
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[![][29] ][30]
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### [Triesman levels corruption charges at Fifa][30]
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Share:
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* [ ][14]
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* [Tweet][18]
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* Advertisement
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![][31]
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telegraphuk
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[36]: #configurableTab_8255335
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[37]: http://jobs.telegraph.co.uk/?utm_source=TMG&utm_medium=CS&utm_campaig
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n=jobslink
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