| | Rarely can two players have raised the bar so high in a single season. Going into the final match of the Liga campaign next weekend Barcelona's Lionel Messi has an amazing 72 club goals to his name this season - a record for a European season - while Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo has netted 63 times. Messi pulled further ahead with all four goals in Saturday's 4-0 win over Espanyol - his 10th hat-trick of the season. The statistics defy belief. The Argentinian also has the Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao to add to his stunning haul. In this week's newsletter I compare and profile the two players. | | Messi vs Ronaldo When Barcelona meet Real Madrid the biggest subplot is the battle of Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo.... Read more | Lionel Messi Profile Considered by most as the best soccer player in the world, there are few finer sights than Lionel Messi using a mixture of pace and trickery to beat multiple defenders from his position on the right side of the Barcelona attack... Read more | Cristiano Ronaldo Profile If anyone embodies the new age player, it is Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro... Read more | World Cup and International Competition The top players in the world represent their countries at the national level as they all chase the common dream of winning a World Cup. But there are other competitions on the way. Look here for news, results, stats, teams, players, competition, and information on the qualifying stages. | | | | World Soccer Ads | | | | Featured Articles | | | | | | | | Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics | | | | You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About World Soccer newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2012 About.com | | | | | Must Reads | | | | Follow me on: | | | | Advertisement | |