It was another terrific week for both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of their inclusion among the finalists in this year's additions of the Ballon d'Or.

After a stunning week that saw Messi hit three goals to break the record as Spain's all-time scorer and Ronaldo put up a few goals to continue his gaudy start to the 2014-15 season, the two looked like players on a mission to claim that coveted prize for being the top player of 2014.

But which one came out on top?

Messi got his first crack at the Champions League this week, and it was crucial for him as he was tied with Raul for the most goals scored in the competition. One more strike and his would be the record.

As he did on Saturday when he broke the record for being Spain's top striker, Messi scored a trio of tallies to cement himself as the most potent offensive force in the entire competition. His first goal against APOEL was a solid redirection from a shot by Rafinha. On the second one, Messi ran in between the opposing defense and received a terrific through-ball. And on the last one, Messi stood offside and avoided receiving a pass from inside the box. The pass went past him to the right wing where it was cut off and centered back to him, now onside. His seven Champions League goals this season are just two away from tying the record for most goals in a group stage. Another hat trick and he holds yet another record.

Messi finished that game with 127 touches on the ball, third most on Barcelona, and an 89 percent passing completion.

But his final game of the week, against Valencia was far from his best showing. He had only two shots at goal and none on target. He only had 75 touches and completed 77.1 percent of his passes. A rather disappointing display after the tremendous first game this week.

Sadly for Ronaldo, he had to score five goals to top Messi as he came in with just 70 Champions League goals.

Real Madrid was also playing away against a FC Basel side that desperately needed the win. The odds were not necessarily stacked in his favor, but he made it work.

He hit the post on one of his four shots on goal, but eventually scored when Karim Benzema made a tremendous run up the left flank and around the defense. The Frenchman crossed the ball in past the goalie and a defender to Ronaldo who simply had to tap the ball in for the goal. It was his 71st strike in the Champions League tying him with Raul for the second most in the competition.

Unfortunately for Ronaldo, Madrid had a rather woeful game throughout, and he only had 60 touches on the ball.

Then Madrid faced the tremendous challenge of facing Malaga. For Ronaldo, this was a chance to continue his goal scoring streak in the Spanish League, which dated back to the first game of the year and included 11 straight matches.

But it was not meant to be. Ronaldo had six shots on goal, including three on target, but was thwarted twice by netminder Carlos Kameni.

In prior years, this would have been a failed performance by Ronaldo. But the player continued to show his desire to alter his style and delivered in another manner, one usually more associated with Messi: the playmaker.

A week ago, Ronaldo made a last ditch effort to win a ball on the line and set up James Rodriguez. This week he made a tremendous run on the left flank, similar to Benzema's against Basel, and made a nice low cross that the Frenchman deposited into the net.

But Ronaldo was not done. He added a second assist on Gareth Bale's eventual game winner. It was the kind of performance that Ronaldo has generally not delivered, but one he is actually showcasing more and more often. In a rather startling turn of events, Ronaldo now has eight assists in the Spanish League this season. Does anyone venture to guess who has more? No one. Messi, once the king of assists in the Champions League is actually behind Ronaldo, who is also the leading goal scorer in the league with 20 goals.

Winner

Ronaldo's two-assist performance was a reminder of how dynamic a player he really is. But despite yet another tremendous week for the Portuguese superstar, no one can ignore Messi breaking more records and doing it with a hat trick. For perspective, since his woeful performance against Almeria, Messi has six goals in three games. While he did have a poor performance against Valencia, he was still crucial in leading the way toward the eventual winner, and his other performance more than made up for it. Ronaldo has only three goals in the last three games (to go along with three assists). In most cases, those would be excellent numbers for any player. But this is Messi and Ronaldo. That is why they are the best in the world.

Messi is now trailing this weekly feature's tally 7-4.

Check out last week's edition of "Messi vs. Ronaldo" here.

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