11 THINGS LIONEL MESSI AND CRISTIANO RONALDO HAVE IN COMMON
By: Oghenero Ezaza

Coronavirus induced lockdown really got me bored, so yesterday I decided to give myself one work and it was to fetch 10 things both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have in common. We are all too familiar with their differences hence I decided to shock the world with 10 of their similarities. Well, when I started my quest I thought it would be an easy ride but lo and behold the more I was looking for things they share the more I was realizing how totally different these two people actually were. For instance Ronaldo is right-footed, Messi is left-footed. Ronaldo is not married, Messi is. Ronaldo does not take alchohol, Messi does. Ronaldo has no tattoos but Messi has. Ronaldo has played for several clubs and leagues, Messi has played for just one. Ronaldo has dated several girls, Messi has stuck to one. Ronaldo’s children are from different mamas, Messi’s are all from one mama, Ronaldo has four kids, Messi has three. Ronaldo has a daughter, Messi has no daughter. And the list goes on and on and on and on. In fact I began to wish I was writing on their differences. But that would not be fun. It would be too easy. Whereas in my hometown we say ‘Warri nor dey carry last.’ Every Nigerian understands this but if you are not Nigerian it means Warri people never accept defeat nor failure in anything we do. Therefore I must get out 10 things Messi and Ronaldo have in common. By the time I slept last night I managed to get about 6. In the night I had a dream that I was playing football here in my hometown with Ronaldo and Messi. With all three of us playing together as friends.

I woke up this morning and immediately resumed work on my quest right from bed. I was stuck somewhere at 8 and out of frustration some crazy similarities between the two of them got into my head. I almost used them to complete my 10 because Warri must never carry last, but I am a principled person and I must not play ojoro. For instance I wanted to say they are both whites. Yes that’s a similarity but that’s racist so I removed it. Well as at 10 a.m this morning I was able to complete the 10 similarities between Messi and Ronaldo and in fact I had one extra which has now made it 11. So let’s go there.

These are the 11 Things Ronaldo and Messi have in Common:

1. THEY ARE BOTH CATHOLIC: Yes they share the same religion (Christian) and within the Christian faith they are also in same denomination (Catholic).
2. BOTH ARE CAPTAINS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE NATIONAL TEAMS: Ronaldo captain of Portugal, Messi captain of Argentina.
3. NO WORLD CUP TROPHY: Ronaldo and Messi seemed to have broken the rule that great players should be determined by a world cup trophy. The likes of Pele, Maradona, Zidane, Ronaldo of Brazil all have a world cup trophy. Well Ronaldo and Messi don’t but no one would write a list of great players ever and omit these two names. No one.
4. BOTH ARE FROM POOR FAMILIES: This is not an exaggeration, they both came from poor families
5. BOTH WERE SUBJECTED TO CHILD LABOUR: Due to being born into poor families they both had to work as children to support their respective families.
6. BOTH BREAD WINNERS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE FAMILIES: They both brought fortune to their respective poor families. They each were the blessing the creator has used to deliver their respective families from the shackles of poverty.
7. BOTH ARE INVOLVED IN HIGH LEVEL OF CHARITY
8. BOTH HAVE BEEN FOUND GUILTY FOR TAX FRAUD: The Spanish government brought charges against Messi and his father for tax evasion. Before trial the prosecution opted to drop all charges against Messi and only press charges against his father but the judge refused and convicted both of them. When similar charges were brought against Ronaldo he opted for settlement terms where he paid some amount of money instead of serving jail term.
9. THEY ARE CONTEMPORARIES: Yes this is a similarity. They both played football at the same time. People tried to compare Pele and Maradona, but one thing that makes it more difficult is the fact that Pele had hung his boots long before Maradona found his. But the age difference Ronaldo and Messi is barely two years. If they were to be from my village they would belong to the same age-grade. This makes their competition to be head to head.
10. THEY BOTH HAVE CHILDREN PLAYING FOOTBALL: Ronaldo’s son Cristiano Ronaldo JR has been playing for Real Madrid junior team and now plays for Juventus junior team. He plays very well, I tip him to do more than his father, lol! Messi’s eldest son, Thiago, did not show early signs of interest in football. But that has pretty changed much. He now officially plays for Barcelona junior team and does very well. His father even admits his son criticizes him after a poor performance.
11. THEY HAVE BOTH MADE TIME MAGAZINE’S 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSONS IN THE WORLD: I would have just simply said they are both influential people on earth. But let me just use the TIME 100 as my yardstick. Annually TIME Magazine releases a list of 100 most influential people on earth. Messi made the list in 2011 and 2012 while Ronaldo did in 2014.

Oghenero Ezaza is a writer, poet and on air personality at Kpoko (100.5) FM, Warri, Nigeria.