Messi or Ronaldo: Who Will Dominate in 2022?

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In the nine years since the launch of the official player rankings, there have rarely been two players as closely matched as Messi and Ronaldo. In any given year, either has generally had a decisive edge in the Ballon d’ Or voting; in recent seasons, that has flipped between one and the other. With both players now 32 years old, it’s natural to ask: how much longer can this rivalry last? Which player will remain dominant in 2022? And which of them will we be talking about most from 2021 on? This article explores what might happen next for these two greats of football. At their current rate of production, it seems impossible for either player to continue for much longer – but what happens if they raise their game even further than they already have?

How Fast Can Messi and Ronaldo Run?

It’s not just in scoring goals that Messi and Ronaldo have re-written the record books. They’re also among the top athletes in the world, in any sport. Both have what would be considered superhuman levels of speed and energy in the context of normal people. The average male athlete, on the standard “80/20” macronutrient ratio, burns through a certain amount of calories per day. A professional soccer player burns through more than that, but less than you’d expect. Jeremias Engelke of the Harvard Medical School, who has studied the metabolic needs of elite players, estimates that a player like Messi requires about 3,500 calories per day to maintain his level of performance.

What’s the Difference in Pace Between Messi and Ronaldo?

The key attribute here isn’t just speed, but acceleration. Both players are known for their ability to break into the box at ridiculous speeds. Ronaldo, in particular, is an excellent sprinter. Engelke estimates that Ronaldo burns through about 2,000 calories per 90 minutes on the field. That’s five times more than the average person, but less than the 3,500 calories burned by a five-foot, ten-inch man like Messi.

Which Player Will Be Faster in Six Years?

If we assume that the two players will continue to maintain the same level of fitness and metabolic rate, Ronaldo should slow down before Messi. When Engelke examined the metabolic data of retired players like Paolo Maldini, he found that they rely on metabolisms about 30% slower than those of active players – and that a metabolic decline of 10% can be expected for every year a player is out of action.

2022 Ballon d’ Or Predictions: Ronaldo Wins!

One way to test the limits of this rivalry is to look at what will happen if Ronaldo and Messi continue to play at their current level and stay injury-free. In 2022, assuming they play as many games as they did in 2018, Messi will be 34, Ronaldo will be 36. They will both be in their 20s as far as experience goes; but they will also both be in their 30s as far as their bodies are concerned.

2022 Ballon d’ Or Predictions: Messi Wins!

If either player is still at his peak in 2022, he’ll probably have broken records for the longest sustained domination of any professional athlete. But the chances are slim. No matter how hard either player trains, no matter how much they obsess about their diet and sleep schedules, their bodies will not last forever. At some point, the accumulated effect of all those years of football will take its toll on the brain and the nervous system. There’s a good chance that the 2021-22 season will be the last opportunity for either player to break the record for the longest streak of dominance.

2022 Ballon d’ Or Predictions: Neither Player Dominates!

Another way to look at this rivalry is to consider the most likely outcome: that neither player ever dominates again. What if the 2021-22 season marks the end of both players’ reigns atop the football world? There are two possibilities here. One is that they just stop being good enough. The other is that they continue, but they get overtaken by new players who follow in their footsteps.

Conclusion

This rivalry has been fascinating because there’s been no obvious end in sight. Every year, it’s felt like this could be the season where one or the other falls off. This year, maybe it feels that way more than ever. But there’s one factor that’s been constant: both players have always had the ability to adjust and improve. They’re not just scoring goals; they’re setting records and improving the game on their own terms. And that’s what makes this particular rivalry so compelling. These are two players who have continuously pushed each other to new heights. They’ve never been satisfied with the status quo; they’ve always had the ability to improve and raise the bar for themselves. And so the question remains: how high can they take this?