Just as Cristiano Ronaldo started to grab all the plaudits for his incredible start to 2018, Leo Messi has risen his head once again, and is demonstrating his genius with a strong run of form.
The Argentine is no longer the unstoppable goalscorer he was in 2011 and 2012, when everything he touched would turn to gold, but his performances are even more important to Barcelona's Valverde than they were back then.
Pep Guardiola's Barca boasted an attack of Xavi, Iniesta, Pedro and David Villa, whereas Messi now shares the goalscoring duties with Luis Suarez, Philippe Coutinho, and Ousman Dembele. Realistically, he is by far the most important member of the team now, which wasn't necessarily the case back then.
In 2017/18, a season in which he will turn 31, Messi has featured in 43 games, providing 35 goals and 17 assists. Last season, in the 52 games he played for Barcelona, the Argentine grabbed the same amount of assists as he has this season, notching 54 goals. Those numbers would suggest Messi is creating more for his teammates this year than he was last.
He has a minimum of 12 games left for the Catalan side this season, and a maximum of 15, giving him plenty of time to boost out his stats. The sense in the Camp Nou is that, outside of the numbers, Messi is ageing well, and continuing to provide for his club.
An Insatiable Ronaldo
While Messi's stats are impressive, Ronaldo's are even more eye-catching. The Portuguese forward has had an incredible 2018, and excluding his blank against Levante, he has racked up 21 goals and two assists in his last ten games.
His goalscoring stats, 37 in 35 games, are superior to Messi's, although the Real Madrid man has played less, due to his suspension at the start of the season, and the fact that Zidane has taken the decision to manage his games. While Messi has played 3,664 minutes, Cristiano has only managed 2,996, almost 700 minutes fewer than his rival, which is the equivalent of nearly eight games.
Focusing exclusively on this data, the Portugal international, who recently turned 33, comes out on top. However, if you take assists into account, a very different picture is painted. Messi has set up 17 goals this season, whereas Cristiano has only provided six assists to Madrid.
And one final detail; while Ronaldo has hit the woodwork ten times this season, Messi has been denied by the post no fewer than 17 times. With all these stats presented to you, who is having the better season?