It is inevitable. With Barcelona's semi-final Copa del Rey clash with Villarreal on Wednesday fast approaching, the limelight is set to be on one particular man; Lionel Messi.
The Argentine looks a player possessed ever since the turn of the new year. Despite a sluggish start to the season, Messi has been the club's most influential player as of late, headlining the Blaugrana's resurgence in La Liga amid rumors of a Camp Nou exit.
The 27-year-old attacker's counterpart, Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, has seen a downhill fall in form. Unlike Messi, Ronaldo enjoyed a blistering start to La Liga season, scoring 23 goals in 17 games between August and November, which led to his Ballon d'Or win in mid-January of this year.
However, ever since then, the Portuguese ace has failed to impress. Being eliminated from the Copa del Rey at the hands of Atletico Madrid, the 30-year-old was especially anonymous for Les Merengues when they lost 4-0 to Los Rojiblancos in the Madrid derby, a game which saw the former Manchester United winger unable to manage even a single shot on goal.
Ronaldo disappointed vs Atletico in the shock 4-0 defeat
So, how exactly does Messi and Ronaldo's stats fare, this year? Take a look below.
- So far this season, Messi has scored 23 goals in La Liga, 33 in all competitions. Ronaldo has 28 in his name in the Spanish Primera Division, 34 in all competitions.
- Leo has made 21 appearances in the Liga BBVA this term, two more than Cristiano's tally of 19 outings. Both, though, have featured 6 times in the Champions League.
- Since the beginning of 2015, Messi has found the back of the net 10 times, compared to the Real Madrid star's 4 goals.
- Cristiano has bagged only one assist this year, being involved in 5 goals. La Pulga, however, has registered 7 assists, meaning he has been involved in 17 goals this year for the Blaugrana.
- In 2015, Messi has taken part in 9 out of Barcelona 10 games. Cristiano, however, has 559 minutes under his belt in 7 games during the same period.
Messi for Barcelona in 2015: involved in 17 goals during 9 games (10 goals, 7 assists)
— MESSISTATS (@MessiStats) February 8, 2015
The stats do little to conceal it; Messi has been the better player this year. His fine form has seen Luis Enrique's crew slash Real Madrid's lead at the top of the table to a single point, whilst guiding the Catalan giants to a spot in the last 4 in the Copa del Rey.
With reigning champions Real Madrid out of the Spanish Cup, Barcelona look favorites to succeed Los Blancos' crown and clinch their 27th title.
One thing that should be mentioned is that while Ronaldo kicked off 2015 with a landslide win at the 2014 Ballon d'Or ceremony, what followed has been nothing but turmoil.
He saw his five-year relationship with Russian supermodel Irina Shayk come to an end. Then, in late January, Ronaldo was sent off for slapping a player in his side's 2-1 win over Cordoba, which resulted in a two-match ban. Recently, he has come under huge criticism for throwing a birthday party after their embarrassing loss to Atletico.
But being Cristiano Ronaldo, it won't be too long before the Real Madrid star hits top form once again.
