Why do people so often predict this young player will be the next Messi. But I hardly ever hear them looking for the next Cristiano Ronaldo?
“Cristiano Ronaldo does amazing things with impossible consistency, Lionel Messi does impossible things.”
This quote pretty much sums up.
A “new Ronaldo” is something very possible to come up in future years because what makes Ronaldo a legend is not WHAT he does, but HOW MUCH he does. If you search for Cristiano best goals, best assist, best dribbles, you will see amazing things but not necessary unique things, bicycle kicks, long shot goals, elasticos, step overs, all this was already made several times in the past by a diversity of players. What differs the Portuguese from the rest is in the consistency in which he does this things, Ronaldo’s mentality of always want more and more is what make him an amazing footballer, he is a role model of hard work and professionalism.
Now, a “new Messi” is another complete different thing because Leo is a legend not only because he is consistent, but also because the Argentine is truly unique. If you search Messi best goals, best assists, best dribbles, you will find things that seems impossible to human eyes, yet, being done effortlessly, plays that are brilliant, intelligent and effective all at same time, goals where Leo get surround by three, four defenders and somehow break the impossible situation and still score from a impossible angle.
There is where they differ.
For you to have a new Ronaldo, you need a talent player who is very hard worker and that have hunger for the game, which is difficult to happen, but is totally possible, Mbappe for example can be a next Ronaldo, he is very talented, very passionate about the game , have already good numbers and is still very young.
But for you to have a new Messi, you need a player that not only have consistency, but that also have a unique talent and intelligence, a player that see the sport different from the rest.
You see people so often predicting that a young player will be the next Messi but hardly ever hear them looking for the next Cristiano Ronaldo because they don’t need to look for a new Ronaldo, they know that is going to happen, maybe not with the same consistency, but will happen. In the Messi case however, is very unlikely.
In the end, people always look for what is more hard to find.