Real Physical Power, Real Work, Real Determination

By Jean-Moïse Destin

Founder & Publisher, Unity & Manners Global Press LLC

Unity Sports Hub (USH) – Sports Division

December 27, 2025

Why Lionel Messi also surpasses Cristiano Ronaldo in the areas football rarely explains properly

For nearly two decades, a simplistic narrative has shaped the global football conversation.

On one side, Lionel Messi, portrayed as pure talent, a natural gift, almost a chosen one.

On the other, Cristiano Ronaldo, presented as the embodiment of hard work, determination, physical strength, and relentless ambition.

This story is comfortable. It is easy to tell, easy to teach, easy to consume.

But it is deeply misleading.

It rests on two major misconceptions:

1. a shallow definition of what physical strength truly means in football,

2. a distorted understanding of work ethic, determination, and mental resilience.

When football is analyzed through its real demands, Lionel Messi is not only technically superior.

He is also physically dominant in several decisive dimensions, and at least as determined, if not more, than Cristiano Ronaldo.

Redefining “physical strength” beyond appearances

Elite football is not bodybuilding, nor is it track sprinting.

Useful physical power lives elsewhere.

It is measured by the ability to:

• repeat complex explosive efforts

• accelerate and decelerate under pressure

• absorb repeated contact

• generate power while off-balance

• tolerate pain and fatigue

• sustain elite performance over 15 to 20 years

In this reality, Messi operates in one of the most physically demanding zones modern football has to offer.

1) High-speed intensity with the ball: the invisible workload

Messi is not a player who accumulates distance without the ball to inflate running statistics.

He is a player who carries the ball at high intensity, which multiplies physical cost.

High-speed ball carrying requires simultaneously:

• acceleration

• close control

• constant foot adjustments

• real-time decision-making

• anticipation of contact

Running fast with the ball is physically more demanding than running fast without it.

Messi built his entire career around this constraint, while many players, including Ronaldo later in his career, progressively reduced this type of effort.

This is not ease.

It is sustained physical load.

2) Repeated accelerations and decelerations: the true wear on the body

Messi’s game is built on short, explosive sequences:

• sharp take-offs

• sudden braking

• rapid changes of direction

• immediate re-acceleration

Sports science consistently shows that repeated decelerations impose some of the highest mechanical stress on muscles, tendons, and joints.

A player who dribbles frequently in congested areas carries a neuromuscular load far greater than a more linear runner.

Messi accepted this burden for over fifteen years, without fundamentally simplifying his style.

What many interpret as “effortless” is, in reality, extreme physical efficiency under constant strain.

3) Stability under contact: functional strength, not visible muscle

Messi is smaller than Cristiano Ronaldo, but smaller does not mean weaker.

Quite the opposite.

His low center of gravity, core strength, coordination, and balance allow him to:

• absorb lateral contact

• stay upright under pressure

• retain possession in crowded spaces

This functional strength is decisive.

Keeping the ball while being pushed, pulled, or destabilized requires real physical power developed through disciplined training, not natural luck.

4) Long-range shooting: a direct and undeniable proof of physical power

Long-range shooting is not merely a technical skill.

It is a full physical action.

A shot from outside the penalty area demands:

• explosive lower-body strength

• efficient energy transfer from the ground to the ball

• core stability

• precise coordination under pressure

Across their careers, Messi has attempted more shots from outside the box and scored significantly more of them than Cristiano Ronaldo.

This double fact matters.

Attempting more long-range shots means accepting additional physical load, as each attempt is an explosive action often executed off-balance, sometimes after a dribble or high-speed carry.

Scoring more from distance proves that the power generated is controlled, repeatable, and sustainable.

Despite the popular image associating raw shooting power with Ronaldo, the data shows that Messi has expressed greater functional and effective power from distance, consistently and over time.

5) Resistance to fouls and repeated physical targeting

This aspect is rarely included in physical analysis, yet it is crucial.

For more than a decade, Messi was among the most fouled players in top-level football.

He was frequently tackled from behind, clipped, pulled, and charged laterally, often without the level of refereeing protection his status might suggest.

Enduring hundreds of fouls per season, continuing to dribble, shoot, and create without altering his style, is proof of exceptional physical and mental toughness.

This is not just technique.

It is pain tolerance and bodily resilience.

6) Playing through discomfort: intelligence of effort

Messi has often played while physically diminished: muscular discomfort, fatigue accumulation, overload.

Rather than disappearing, he learned to adjust effort, protect essentials, and remain decisive.

This requires refined body awareness:

• knowing when to push

• when to manage

• when to concentrate energy on decisive moments

This is a mature, demanding form of determination, less theatrical but deeply professional.

7) Late but decisive discipline: rebuilding the body to last

Contrary to myth, Messi’s physical preparation was not always perfect.

He experienced digestive issues, match-day vomiting, and irregular energy levels earlier in his career.

From 2014–2015 onward, he radically transformed:

• nutrition

• hydration

• recovery

• medical monitoring

The result was a second half of his career at elite level, something rare for players with such an intense, ball-dominant style.

This was not destiny.

It was conscious discipline.

8) Tactical and physical evolution without losing impact

Many great talents fade when their role changes.

Messi adapted.

He accepted:

• deeper positioning

• the false nine role

• a playmaking responsibility

• less running, more decision-making

Maintaining excellence while transforming the nature of physical effort is a sign of superior physical and mental maturity.

9) National pressure, chronic stress, and resilience

The pressure Messi faced with Argentina was relentless and often hostile.

Chronic stress affects recovery, nervous-system fatigue, and injury risk.

Messi endured lost finals, harsh criticism, public doubt.

He broke, then returned stronger and calmer.

This emotional resilience directly supported his long-term physical durability.

10) Behavioral sobriety: invisible energy management

One final, often overlooked factor.

Messi speaks little, avoids controversy, limits media exposure.

He spends less emotional energy off the pitch, which supports:

• recovery

• focus

• hormonal stability

• long-term consistency

Over two decades, this becomes a real physical advantage.

Conclusion: the strongest physique is not always the most visible

Cristiano Ronaldo is an extraordinary professional and a model of discipline.

But framing him as “work” and Messi as “gift” is a historical misreading.

Messi is:

• physically powerful in football terms

• capable of repeating complex explosive actions

• more effective from long range

• resilient under contact and pain

• deeply disciplined in his preparation

• consistent in one of the game’s most demanding roles

True physical strength does not always look impressive.

True determination does not always announce itself.

And if we want to tell an honest story to the next generation, it is not the story of a genius who was simply given everything, but of a player who, despite extraordinary talent, worked more precisely, more intelligently, and more persistently than almost anyone else to remain at the top.