Was Cristiano Ronaldo Underrated in Football Manager 2015?

Lionel Messi has a few (unexpected) better attributes in Football Manager when compared to Cristiano Ronaldo.

A player who makes a 96-metre run in just 10 seconds in the 78th minute of the Madrid derby should be noted with maximum Stamina and maybe Pace, shouldn’t he?

Well, that makes sense from a football scout’s point of view, although FM scouts seem to weigh things a little different.

Ronaldo’s 96m run in 10 seconds

*Usain Bolt holds the current 100-metre world record: 9.58 seconds.

I understand his Work Rate being that low he won’t cover as much distance per match as Nemanja Matic, but his Stamina should definitely be higher, if not maxed out.

Lack of vision?

Extracts from the game’s manual (in green):

Vision: This refers to a player’s vision and ability to see a potential opening, not necessarily exploit it. A player might be able to see something to take advantage of but also requires the technical proficiency to pull it off.

14 out of 20… unbelievable.

I understand he might be selfish, but that’s actually got to do with the Teamwork attribute: How well the player follows tactical instructions and works for and alongside his team-mates. A team full of players with a high rating here will work better as a unit. Players with lower ratings will slack off and not ‘buy in’ to the team ethos.

But that’s never a problem for Lionel Messi, who’s got the Vision attribute maxed out at 20:

messi-fm15

Now, I don’t wanna get into all that Blatter stuff right now, but still…

A decent passer…

He’s not a bad passer after all, 14 out of 20 seems pretty reasonable to me! Yeah right… After all, fellow Messi got just 19 for only being at the end of Xavi’s passes, so that’s fine!

Off-topic: Another funny thing I noticed, Messi got the Heading attribute as high as 12. It must have taken them hours to find analyse all the 3 times he’s ever hit the ball with his head…

First Touch, Free Kicks, Agility must surely be his strong points

Anyway, according to the game scouts Messi is better at mostly everything, even at Corners. Not to mention his First Touch is rated at 20, compared to Cristiano’s 16.

Cristiano’s Agility attribute is 13. Messi, on the other hand, has 20.

Agility reflects how well a player can start, stop, and move in different directions at varying levels of speed (pace). It ties in with the Pace, Acceleration and Balance attributes as they work together in the match engine, especially when a player is running with the ball.

With the Free Kicks attribute at 17, they are saying he’s quite decent at it as well:

This isn’t meant to be a Ronaldo v Messi debate. It’s just a comparison within the game to have a better way of presenting a general point of view.

Question for the readers: Is Ronaldo underrated or is just Messi being overpowered?

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20 COMMENTS

  1. He isn’t underrated in game, regardless of what his stats show. I bought him for my United team when he was 31, and he has consistently outperformed Messi in every season. In my best season he scored 93(!) goals in all tournaments, including a staggering 59 goals in 36 PL matches. So no, he is in no Way underrated!

  2. I believe it is unfair, i do not care what FM Developer Staff is being told what to do or not. I pay for this game and i expect it to be spot on, especially on the major leagues. I do agree with Mihai, i believe thise stats are more accurate to the real life. Also, how comes no one says nothing about Nicolas Gaitan being under-rated ? I felt like he was, but it might be just me. All in all it is a very great game, with a very high “enjoy” rating. I’m loving it, I have just started playing FM15, and up until now I’ve been only playing the classic 08, with all sorts of databases. I have managed to adapt to the new game and i’m starting to really get hooked to it. My BvB side is wonderful, and i’m pretty much done assuring the title in my very first season, after getting a hang of all the new features, display, and match engine. I can only wait for the end of it, so that i can really “power-up” my team, next season. Great game!

  3. The only thing i’d have a quibble about with ronaldo is the acceleration attribute. Other than that, it’s pretty much spot on. Ronaldo’s strengths are his pace and power, ability to time his runs and his ruthlessness in front of goal. Outside these areas, pretty much every area of his attacking game is good, but come on. He’s a good passer, but he isn’t a playmaker at all, so a rating of 16 or above on passing/vision would be silly. Messi, on the other hand, has always been somewhere between a no.10, a forward and a winger. The recent Bayern Munich tie was yet another demonstration that messi is just as dangerous picking a pass as he is receiving them or running with the ball.

  4. personally the real question is what has ronaldo ever actually done he is vastly over rated and should be average at best

  5. For somebody who makes such a fuss about his freekicks, you have to admit Ronaldo still hits the wall or misses the goal many times. And i’ve yet to see him pull of a real miracle freekick.

    I think they have him down quite right in comparison to Messi. You’re completly neglecting his huge advantage in strength, natural fitness, jumping and pace. What Ronaldo lacks (hoho, “lacks”) in the last bit of perfection in terms of technique, he makes up for in sheer size and power. That’s also reflected in their playing, they are not different sized clones at all who should share all the same great attributes.

    They both draw a lot of attention, but while Ronaldo eats ground and cuts through a loose defence like a freight train, Messi is slower, relies on getting his defenders off balance to get a bit of clear space (rather than being able to simply outrun them from the initial space advantage). Consequently, he also more often gets stuck surrounded by defenders – but he’s insanely good at sticking a deadly pass through the maze of legs.
    2 Seasons ago, Iniesta was even better at that than Messi. No idea how it stands now, can’t spend every weekend watching all the football of germany and spain 🙂

    The only thing that has me wondering is finishing and long shots. Sure, they may be on par when it comes to finishing inside of 8m, but from afar it MUST be Ronaldo. The longest distances i’ve seen Messi shoot is just outside the box, and a little further for free kicks.

  6. Chris, do you honestly believe that in real life the gap between messi and c. Ronaldo si that big? Messi is a great player player but it’s overrated in every game he appears. He is not playing like he used to play 3-4 years ago. Fans still have that picture in mind when talking about messi.

  7. You are again showing a lack of understanding.
    Heading is not simply a rating of how good they are at heading. There is a complex method in which the height of the player is checked against a formula (SI-created) and this generates the heading rating in order to ensure that the game is not broken by gigantic players heading everything from a mile above the stadium.
    You haven’t presented any facts. Your point of view is 100% subjective.

  8. This is my opinion about Ronaldo stats acording to Messi’s stats.
    Crossing: Since messi has 15 being a striker while Ronaldo played as LM at United and knows how to Cross and has only 14..he should have 17.
    Dribling: Messi (20) Fair. Ronaldo should have (19)
    First touch:Messi (20)Fair.Ronaldo should have (18)
    Heading:Messi (12) .In that case Ronaldo should have (20).Without being compared to Messi at this,i think (18) it’s more realistic.Like (8) for Messi will do.
    Finishing:Messi(20).Fair.Ronaldo(19).Should have (20).They are both very good.
    Long shots.Messi has (17).Damn.He has under 10 goals from 25 yards out in he’s career while Ronaldo has over 30.If messi has (17) Ronaldo should have (20).More realistic will be Ronaldo (19) and Messi (13).
    Passing:Messi (19) Fair.Ronaldo should have (16).He has some amazing assists though he’s career.
    Penalty taking:Messi(18).Really?I mean really?If messi has (18),Ronaldo should have (20).More realistic.Messi(17),Ronaldo (19)
    Technique:Messi(20)Fair.Ronaldo should have (19).But it’s also ok with 18.
    Anticipation:Messi(19).I think Ronaldo should have (19) aswell.They are both equal in the off-ball game.
    Composure:Messi(19) fair.But Ronaldo only (15).He should have (19) aswell.
    Concentration:Messi(14).Unfair.He should have (17).Ronaldo(15).He should have (18).
    Decisions:Messi(19).Fair.Ronaldo (15).He should have (17 or 18).
    Determination: FAIR FOR BOTH.
    Flair :Messi(20)fair.Ronaldo(18) should have (20).
    Leadership:Messi(14).Unfair.(18 at least he deserves).Ronaldo (15).He deserves also (18 al least).
    Off the ball:Messi(18) fair.Ronaldo(18).Fair.
    Teamwork:Messi(13).Unfair.Should have (16).Ronaldo(10).Should have (between 12-14).
    Vision:Messi(20).I think Ozil should have (20).Messi deserver “only” (19).Ronaldo(14).Deserves(17).
    Work rate: Messi(7).I think (10) would be more accurate.And Ronaldo(12).I think (14) would do it.
    Acceleration:Messi(18).Fair.Ronaldo(15).UNFAIR.Really unfair.(17) would do it.
    Agility:Messi(20).Fair.Ronaldo(13).Wait,what?!Only 13?I think(17 at least) deserves.
    Balance:Messi(17).If it would be (18) it would fair enough.And Ronaldo only 10?FOr God sake..He should be at least (15).
    Jumping reach:Messi(6).(8 would do it).Ronaldo(16).I think (18) would be fair.
    Natural fitness: FAIR for both.
    Pace:Messi(15).Should have (16 or 17).Ronaldo (19).Fair.
    Stamina :Messi(13).Fair.Ronaldo(17).FAir
    Strenght:Messi(8).FAir.Ronaldo (18).Fair.

    This is just my opinion.I am a little bit frustrated that Ronaldo is still underrated after winning the 2nd ballon d’or and being a big favourite for the 3rd.And has 3 golden boots the same as messi.SO why this big difference in the game?

  9. It’s ok to judge players that not everyone knows..but when is comes to players like Ronaldo and Messi i think you should judge simple.How can messi have 20 attributes everywhere and Ronaldo don’t?I am talking about real life now.I know messi has a better creativity,passing,dribble..but Ronaldo also has that things.If messi has 19 passing,Ronaldo should be 17.If messi has 20 dribling,Ronaldo should have 19.And the agility,acceleration and stamina for Ronaldo are just rude.I think Miles should fire some reserchersers..because it’s clear they don’t understand footbal.

  10. It’s not really my job to understand how your are TOLD to do things.
    I’ve only had a few subjective comments, rest is all facts. Were you TOLD to think like this as well? Is this your honest opinion or you’re just saying what they TOLD you to…

    I guess you do agree with Messi’s 12 Heading and Ronaldo’s only 14 passing attribute then 🙂

  11. I’m a researcher on FM and you really don’t understand how we are TOLD to judge players.
    Both Ronaldo and Messi are ranked within their respective parameters and as such the ratings are spot on.
    Everything you have moaned about is a subjective opinion and not based on fact. You’re basically talking out of your arse.

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