A Financial Times Sports Books of the Year. Cristiano and Leo is the fascinating account of the lives and rivalry between two of the best footballers to ever play the game, Ronaldo and Messi, by Jimmy Burns the bestselling author of Maradona: The Hand of God. The rivalry between Ronaldo and Messi has defined football to a generation of fans – everyone has an opinion on who is the greatest. Do you prefer Ronaldo whose work ethic and physique have been honed for one purpose – scoring goals. Or Messi, whose superhuman natural talent means he can do the seemingly impossible with a football. Between them they have scored over 13 goals, won the Ballon d'Or ten times, and taken the beautiful game to even greater heights. But statistics alone cannot do justice to their skill, athleticism and dedication to stay at the top for so long of one of the most competitive sports in the world. Cristiano and Leo tells their definitive story, from children kicking a ball halfway around the world from each other to facing each other in the epic clash El Cl¡sico, between Real Madrid and Barcelona. This is the essential book to understand one the most compelling rivalries in sporting history.