Statistical Analysis of Football Legends Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo Essay Example

Many people feel that statistics and football are very far apart. In fact many young people mistakenly believe that learning statistics is one thing and going in for football is quite another. This study will explore the relationship between statistics and performances of football players. It will compare and analyze the overall Club and National performances of Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona\Argentina) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United\Portugal) from 2004-2011. Further an attempt is made to predict their future progression in terms of goals scored and who will emerge as the better player in the near future. First of all, how do we measure any performance? Most of the people would base the decision on numbers - goals and assists, as they are naturally offensive players. However, in order to get a more accurate picture, we need to consider other aspects as well. A standardized balanced scorecard for the two players could include variables such as speed, aerial ability, shooting and passing accuracy, and finally, the number of awards to represent worldwide recognition.
Ronaldo once said that he had been sent by the footballing gods to teach the world to play football. Messi returned saying… “I don’t remember sending him”. Classic Messi Wins. Looking at all the past and present records, we and many other supporters would conclude that Cristiano Ronaldo may have scored more when compared to lionel Messi overall . But ultimately after conducting a survey, it was observed that on an average, Messi has contributed more in terms of the ratio between the number of games played to the number of goals scored. Hence, to conclude, quality performance is highly appreciated and has a longer lasting impact rather than quantity performance. Introduction Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball. At the turn of the 21st century, the