Football is called the number one sport in the world. Perhaps only a stubborn person would dispute this statement. Football industry does not stand still and, continuing to develop by leaps and bounds, it draws the attention of many significant social institutions such as the state, international organizations, large international corporations, etc.
The gap in the popularity of football with other sports is easily explained. The number one sport is in demand in Europe, Asia, and Latin America, and this game is also available to all segments of the population, from the poorest to the richest. As for other sports like American football or hockey, they are not available to the poor because they require a lot of money to play this sport.
In addition, they are popular only in certain countries, f.e, American football is played to a greater extent in the United States of America, hockey also in the USA, the Russian Federation, and in some countries where the conditions allow playing this sport.
Lionel Messi achievements
Lionel Andrés Messi Cuccittini is an Argentinean player, captain of the Spanish club Barcelona and the national team of Argentina. He is the top scorer in the history of these squads. Throughout career, athlete has received the best player title, at the club and national levels. Lionel is a six-time Ballon d’Or winner.
He is one of only two players to have scored over 100 goals in European competition.
In 2009/2010 period, player broke his own records for goals. He managed to hit the gates of opponents 34 times in 35 games of the national championship. Messi’s performance resulted in his best season.
Athlete did not react to his status as the top star of Barcelona but kept training and shining in official matches. His combinations with Xavi, Iniesta, and other partners were magical.
He received Golden Ball 5 times between 2009 and 2015. This was the athlete’s club career peak. Despite the deterioration of Barcelona’s results after the departure of Guardiola, statistics throughout his career at the Catalan club are fantastic.
Lionel is great with the ball. He showed top skills at stopping the ball.
Usually, Lionel’s fans talk about how great he is in control of the ball sticking to his feet when Lionel rushes forward. But the main feature of such attacks lies in imperceptible detours of opponents’ attacks and how Lionel anticipates the intentions of the defenders even before they are formed. The footballer seems to read the thoughts of rivals and calculate their purposes.
Career of Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano is a Manchester United and Portugal player. As part of Man United, Cristiano won all the major trophies at the club level many times. At 23, Ronaldo received the first “Golden Ball”, ahead of Leo Messi and Fernando Torres in the voting.
The 2013/14 season turned out to be one of the most successful in Cristiano’s career. Real Madrid won the Copa del Rey, the Champions League, UEFA and the Club World Cup with his help. The Portuguese took the Golden Ball and the Golden Boot.
The incredible exploits of Ronaldo helped Real Madrid win three Champions Leagues – from 2015 to 2018, while the Portuguese himself took two more Golden Balls and one Golden Boot during this time.
Euro 2016 turned out to be a triumph for the Portuguese national team, where, on the way to the trophy, Cristiano and the company defeated Croatia, Poland, Wales, and France in the final. In that tournament, Ronaldo scored three goals and received the Silver Boot.
In 2021, the Portuguese star returned to Manchester United for $12.8 million. Ronaldo’s contract is for two years with the possibility of an extension for another season.
Together with the Portuguese national team, Ronaldo made it to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar through the playoffs. In the final, the Portuguese defeated the team of North Macedonia 2:0.