With Messi Out, Can Ronaldo Pull Ahead?
Lionel Messi has not played in over a month due to a knee injury, and is not likely to appear on the field within the next month. This should be good news for Messi’s rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, as he now has a chance to pull ahead further in total goals.
At the time of Messi’s injury, the La Liga goal count was 5-3 in Ronaldo’s favor. Three games later, Ronaldo has only managed to score two more goals. Last season, Ronaldo scored 1.4 goals per appearance in La Liga. Comparatively, his performance this season is lackluster.
Cristiano was sidelined briefly by an issue with his back in August, which the team reported as minor pain. He has also had a recurring issue with his patella tendon. Could either of these be a cause for his current poor performance?
If Ronaldo does continue to perform at his current pace, Messi has a chance to make a comeback when he returns healthy this year. While Messi’s goal count has also been low, he may surpass Ronaldo in goals per appearance due to the string of scoreless games Ronaldo has had this season.
Real Madrid and Barcelona are set to play on November 21st. If Messi is cleared for play by then, fans will be able to see the rivals face off against each other. Messi’s performance after returning could shake up the current standings in the rivalry between the two. As shown below in this infographic, they guys from ticketsmove have done their job and try to sum up things, but still, it is very difficult to pick one out of these two exceptional players. So who is your favorite?
