[neverevergiveup]

I'm a Barca fan, and am very happy, and also have great respect for Messi and the way he lives his life. That said, Ronaldo is also a great player, and gets more grief than he should. He's building a Children's hospital in Columbia, and is very charitable.

[dfwgator]

I’m a Barca fan, and I enjoy watching both Messi and Ronaldo.

[tinyowl]

Agreed that Ronaldo is a great player. I respect him for his skill and hard work and he may be the most altruistic person in the world for all I know (and I don't really care,) I just suspect I would not be drawn to him based on the on field drama, and of course I could be wrong.

I played soccer for many many years and still play. When I miss a goal or feel I am fouled, long before Messi or Ronaldo came on the scene, I intuitively behaved like Messi, not Ronaldo. It's almost like the extremes of the two ways you handle yourself on the field (well, there is a third - neither of them are nasty like Ramos, which is of course a valid style too.)

But as for my kids? I'd rather they be terrible at soccer and carry themselves like Messi than be great players ad yet be dramatic on or off the field in a whiny way like Ronaldo. I'd even prefer a mischievous Ramos. Luckily, my opinion doesn't matter :-)

But to your point, I'll take nothing from Ronaldo's skill or hard work. May that work never pay off against Barcelona.