Ronaldo is clearly the best player ever. Messi was probably the better overall player in 2011 when Barca were at their peak, and once again in 2015 when they hit the treble with Enrique and he snagged another Ballon D'Or, and was making a case as the better player and ambassador for the game.
But given what has happened with Real winning 3 of 4 Champions League Titles, including the every elusive defensive of it, and Ronaldo being the center piece of it all, breaking ever conceivable scoring record and netting braces and hit tricks galore, most of the time in crucial matches. Remember his triple against Wolfsburg in the 2nd leg tie to salvage Reals run a couple years ago? Never-mind his performance in France, which his hat trick against Hungary, again pulled his side out from the sewer and put them through, being a factor until being hurt in the end before Eder gave him the biggest gift he could ever get, covering himself and Portugal in glory for the first time in a major international tournament.
600 goals, his assist rate his risen, his pace has not noticeably diminished where he cant break the lines, and most importantly, he has a steely figure in Zidane, a legend in his own right, a man who can look at Ronaldo and feel as tho he is an equal, which has been the catalyst behind Ronaldo finally sitting the fuck down. He never wanted to miss minutes played in chase of the golden boot every year. Zidane told him to fuck off and be smart to preserve his stamina in order to be stronger in May.
This has all led to one of the greatest successful runs in sports history by a single player as he will win another player of the year award again this year. Made FIFA cover, and has the most followers on social media. Messi was right there, he was very close to cementing his claim as the greatest, but his failures in the World Cup Final with Argentina, and his being outshone by Real at the club level, there is no way anyone can argue he is better now.
The one argument always was Messi wins and Ronaldo just chases goals and is a pussy who only cares about himself. But now its like a Peyton Manning/Tom Brady reversal where Messi has now become the statistical maestro, winning the top scorer in top flight this year, but only putting a Copa Del Rey in the trophy case for his trouble. Ronaldo didnt score more goals, and started the season slow, but he finished strong as fuck and he won everything you can win, literally EVERYTHING. The only thing they didnt take is the Copa, but they dont give a fuck about that. Its all about the CL, and this 2014-2017 Real side will go down as one of the best ever, having the best player.