The debate of whether Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi is the better football player is a discussion that seems as old as time now.
It really depends on what you consider being more important in a player, but one thing's for sure, they're the best players in the world right now and that's reflected in their ratings in PES 2020.
Both forwards have a 94 overall, but Messi's rating can go as high as 95, if played in the correct way on the Demo of the Konami game.
Stats in general
Last season, Messi played in 50 matches in all competitions, scoring 51 times and setting up a further 22 goals with assists. The Argentine maestro improve by five goals and four assists, despite playing four games fewer when compared with the 2017/18 season.
The Argentine has transitioned into more of a playmaker over the past five years or so, as Xavi and Andres Iniesta have exited the Blaugrana, becoming one of the best passers of the ball in the world.
Of course, he is most renowned for his attacking prowess, and is more dangerous the further forward he plays as Messi gets boosted to 95 overall when played as a centre forward (CF).
Messi's attributes have remained largely unchanged, with the notable exception of an eight increase to his stamina and a three decrease to his heading ability, although the latter was never his forte.
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Meanwhile, Ronaldo achieved 28 goals and 10 assists in 43 games in all competitions during his first season at Juventus. Those numbers are a big decrease on his final season at Real Madrid, down 16 goals, although his assists have gone up by two.
Ronaldo could be called upon more as a striker in this upcoming campaign (where he is rated 93 on PES), especially if Paulo Dybala moves to Manchester United, as the rumours suggest.
Cristiano's attributes have changed more noticeably than Messi's, but most stats haven't gone up or down more than one. The biggest change is in his set piece taking (known as "place kicking") which is down by a whole six points. His pace has also gone down, but that can be expected from a 34-year-old.
READ MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo is slower on PES than FIFA
Is it right?
Messi has remained 94 overall on PES since PES 2014, cementing his place as not only one of the greatest players in the world, but also of all-time. There's no doubt that Messi deserves to be at least equal number 1 in the game and if anything, he deserves to have a slight upgrade on his PES 2019 overall.
Debatably, Ronaldo is been due for a downgrade, but this is Cristiano, he’s a machine and has the potential to go to the next level with Juve in 2019/20. It was his first season in Italy last campaign and still produced the goods in the UEFA Champions League, scoring six goals in nine European appearances.
Let's not forget that Juventus are exclusive to PES this year - and they wouldn't want to upset their marquee player.
These ratings are just about fair, but if Ronaldo doesn't go deeper into the Champions League knockouts or increases his goal tally, he could be featuring in PES 2021 as a 93 overall... or possibly even lower aged 35.
It needs to be remembered as well that this is just the demo, the full game isn't out yet and the ratings of this pair are subject to change. Plus, the PES development team tweak the ratings every week, allowing Messi & Ronaldo to battle it out every week for that number one spot.
Could we even see an Eden Hazard or Virgil van Dijk take the title off them over the course of the season?
What's not in doubt, though, is that both players will be as much of a pleasure to play with in the virtual world as they are to watch in ours.
PES 2020 will be released worldwide on PS4, Xbox One and PC on 10th September 2019.
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