The long-standing debate over who is the greatest out of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo has been settled, according to a key figure at Liverpool.
The two global icons have both scored more than 800 career goals, and have lifted 76 major trophies between them. They also share nine Champions League titles, with their rivalry reaching fever pitch when they were in LaLiga with Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively.
Many fans and pundits believe the pendulum swung towards the Argentinian last year though, when he helped Argentina lift the World Cup in Qatar. Regardless, the 35-year-old's confirmed move to Inter Miami from PSG has signalled the end of an era, as neither star will now be plying their trade in Europe with Ronaldo playing in the Saudi Pro League.
And now Dr Ian Graham, who is seen to leave his role as a director of research at Anfield, has offered his own conclusive view. However, his views are not based on tribalism or favouritism, but rather extensive research and analysis of data.
“It’s Messi,” he said at the Cheltenham Science Festival this week. “The difference is that Messi is also a world-class attacking midfielder. The chances he creates for his teammates are an order of magnitude greater than Ronaldo. Messi does two jobs brilliantly. Ronaldo does one job brilliantly. That’s the difference.”
Graham, who did a PhD in theoretical physics at Cambridge, explained how the two stars were ranked following evaluations of their overall contributions to their team’s success. And he revealed Messi was a clear winner over the 38-year-old Portuguese captain.
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Graham also offered insight into how he outlined transfer targets, admitting his club were currently unable to pursue the player topping the stats: “We get 29 x-y-z positions for each player at 25 frames per second," he added. "Each position is one of your joints. Two of the positions are the eyes, so you can see which direction the players are looking.
“Any statistical model will tell you that Kylian Mbappe is the best player in Europe at the moment,” he said. “But unfortunately, financially, he’s out of Liverpool’s league. We’re looking for the best performing players per pound.”
Messi's stats could soon soar again amid his move to the MLS. The offer to move to South Beach includes several bumper commercial tie-ins, aided by the fact that he already owns a house in Miami.
