In the era of "Mero Hegemony", Messi and Ronaldo are the two hottest words. Although both stars have a large number of fans, a closer look at the comments on the Internet will show that Messi seems to be more easily recognized by fans, while Ronaldo exists more as a "goal machine". So, why is Messi more popular than Ronaldo?
From a technical point of view, Messi is more comprehensive than Ronaldo and has better results
From a technical point of view, Ronaldo is more of a final assist and goalscorer, and there is a certain gap between Ronaldo and Messi in terms of the details of football technology. Coupled with the trend of pass-and-control football led by Barcelona, Messi, who is more delicate in technology and can play as a striker, winger, shadow striker and forward position, can obviously attract more fans.
In addition, in terms of the player's personal data and the number of honors, Messi, who has grown up winning championships all the way from the World Junior Championships, World Youth Championships, and the Olympic Games, is obviously more able to attract fans than Ronaldo. For many post-80s fans, they have witnessed the process of Messi becoming a king from childhood to adulthood. Obviously, in the World Youth Championships, the Olympic Games and other youth competitions, there is a certain gap between Ronaldo. Not to mention, Messi won the World Cup Best Player honor twice in 2014 and 2022, and Ronaldo has so far hung 0 in the number of goals and assists in the World Cup knockout rounds.
In terms of player character, Messi is also more perfect than Ronaldo
Compared with Ronaldo, who has a perverse personality and is merciful everywhere, Messi focuses more on the game. Messi is more dedicated than Cristiano Ronaldo and focuses more on the game. We rarely hear Messi judging his opponents, and even less have Messi and the manager at odds (except for the 2018 World Cup). Messi knows how to become a teammate in many cases and takes the initiative to concede penalties, compared to personal data, Messi is more focused on the game, and there is less negative news off the field. And Messi's humble personality has also won him the favor of more Chinese fans.
From the player's technical ability, comprehensiveness, to character attributes, Ronaldo is not as good as Messi. Maybe there was no "Mero Battle", Messi was the only superstar after Maradona.