Ronaldo or Messi? Which deal was bigger? The Great Debate.

For the last decade, the football industry has debated who’s a greater player between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. You can compare and argue for both sides in a lot of fields. But, one thing is for sure. The Ronaldo to Manchester Utd deal is already bigger than Messi’s PSG deal through the buzz it has created financially and on the social media front.

Below is a list assembled of statistics regarding the social media impact both deals have had. The numbers are recorded as of August 29th, 2021 at 15:00 UK standard time. Keep in mind that Lionel Messi’s announcement post was made on August 10th, 2021.

Summary

In a nutshell, Manchester United not only obtained Ronaldo for a cheaper total fee (contracts/signing bonus included), but they also seem to have signed the player with better marketability in “CR7”. Within minutes, his announcements outdid that of Lionel Messi’s whose post had already been online for weeks.  You can see what kind of impact Ronaldo’s departure had on his former club, Juventus, in the photo below.

Whilst Messi’s announcement did have a stronger effect on the stock value of the club, that may only be temporary. Manchester United have not yet released Ronaldo’s jersey, and just the anticipation of what number he will wear is already causing a stir on social media.

Ultimately, even though the debate for who is the greater football player may never end, the debate for who is more marketable has comfortably been won by Cristiano Ronaldo. And now, in the coming months, we will see how these respective transfers affect the clubs on a footballing level.

Sources

• https://www.freepressjournal.in/sports/a-look-at-how-much-lionel-messi-and-cristiano-ronaldo-are-earning-from-their-new-deals
• Official English Accounts of both Manchester United and Paris Saint Germain.