Messi or Ronaldo? The choice is political

The fact that someone prefers Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo – arguably two of the greatest footballers in the world today – could be associated with his political orientation, according to an international survey conducted by Nanyang Technological University of Singapore (NTU Singapore).

Messi or Ronaldo?

The online survey, which involved over 10,000 respondents in 26 countriesfound that people who identified themselves as more liberals tended to prefer Messi, while those who identified themselves as more conservatives tended to prefer Ronaldo. However, this bond is stronger among younger respondents and weakens substantially with advancing age.

Nationally, respondents in 11 countries, including Singapore, rated Ronaldo more favorably on average. Respondents in eight countries instead showed a preference for Messi, while in seven countries there was no statistically significant difference between the two samples.

The researchers stress that the findings do not indicate a cause-and-effect relationship, but suggest that sports preferences may reflect, at least in part, broader cultural, social and identity values. The study therefore offers an interesting starting point for understanding how world-famous sporting figures can become symbols associated with different attitudes and orientations present in contemporary societies.