Lionel Messi v Cristiano Ronaldo Head-To-Head: Real Madrid ace eclipses Barcelona counterpart in El Clasico
The Portugal international finally got the better of the Ballon d'Or winner, but who was better overall throughout April? Goal.com takes a look at their performances
The Clasico unquestionably dominated the month and for the first time, Lionel Messi was outplayed. He has so frequently terrorised Madrid's defence but at Camp Nou, he was completely subdued, producing only a single shot throughout the 90 minutes. He endured the same frustrations in the Champions League against Chelsea, and this may be an indication that the big teams have finally found a way to keep him quiet.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes that the Argentine may be suffering from fatigue but apart from the blip against Real in La Liga, Messi didn't show any signs to suggest a dip in form. He provided five assists throughout April, remarkably his biggest haul in a single month this season and with Xavi struggling for form and fitness, perhaps the three-time Ballon d'Or winner has taken it upon himself to become more of a playmaker. His two goals in the come-from-behind win over Levante were crucial as it kept Barca within earshot of Madrid prior to the Clasico.
After failing to score against Real and in the two games against Chelsea, Messi returned to his lethal best when he inspired the Blaugrana to a 7-0 hammering of Rayo, scoring two goals and supplying two assists. It may just be Rayo, but the Argentine showed that he can play and impress in the absence of Xavi and Andres Iniesta. It may be that Messi's game is starting to evolve again.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, had a less productive month compared to his rival, taking more shots on goal but scoring fewer, yet he had a higher average rating in April than Messi. There's one simple explanation for this.
Ronaldo and Real had to contend with some monumental games, including Valencia, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla and of course, Barca. Apart from the stalemate against Los Che, the Portuguese star was inspirational for his side in all the other fixtures to dispel criticism that he is unable to deliver the goods in key matches. His near perfect 10 display against Atleti could go down as his best showing in the famous white shirt, scoring two outrageous goals and a penalty to complete his hat-trick and also providing an assist.
But it was in Camp Nou where he finally broke his jinx of regularly being overshadowed by Messi in a Clasico clash, scoring a clinical winning goal that may just have delivered Los Blancos the league title. He then netted a double against Bayern Munich a few days later in the Champions League, although his side failed to close out the tie to advance to the final. But if anything, the month of April showed that Ronaldo, ahead of Euro 2012, is ready to take his game to yet another level in his quest to regain the Ballon d'Or.