Cristiano Ronaldo's season has been over for one week. Lionel Messi's will be over in just days. At this point, with the Champions League still to be determined, it is a good time to compare what the two seasons have been like for the world's two best players.

In our week by week comparison the two wound up tied with Ronaldo managing to catch his rival in two straight weeks thanks to hat trick goals he scored.

However, Messi has the last word, and it has become obvious that despite the statistics, he is the one with the better 2014-15 season.

It was not always that way. Few will forget that when the fall was in full swing Ronaldo was not only running away with the goal-scoring race, but his team was on a 22-game winning streak that seemingly had them poised for a bevy of titles. Real Madrid and Ronaldo were the toast of the world at that point.

Messi meanwhile was not scoring as often and his team was struggling for form. Rumors of battles with manager Luis Enrique only added to the drama and questions about the team's long term stability.

Then the world turned.

Ronaldo went into a tailspin alongside his team while Messi changed his position with Luis Suarez and both sides flourished.

Messi caught up to his rival and temporarily passed him in every possible way -- goals, assists, and most importantly points on the Spanish League table.

Ronaldo struggled for form but eventually found it, being his team's MVP but unable to win anything on his own.

When all was said and done, Ronaldo finished the year with a career-best 61 goals (48 of them in Spain) and 22 assists.

However, that could not compare with the way Messi has been able to be the pure MVP in every way.
Ronaldo scored his way to winning the Pichichi award as Spain's top scorer, but Messi has won Championships on his own.

It is very telling that he scored the game winner against Atletico Madrid that sealed the Spanish League title. In the Copa del Rey final it was a moment of pure soccer brilliance, something Ronaldo has never done in his entire career, that wound up giving Barcelona the edge it needed to overcome a stingy Athletic Bilbao. That he added a second goal only put his stamp on the game.

He could yet put on a show in Berlin this weekend, and if he scores a hat trick, he would tie Ronaldo on goals in all competitions but have the edge in assists, edging his rival in all statistics and trophies.

From a playing style perspective we saw something rather interesting happen. Ronaldo became more limited in his style, playing more like a forward and less like the dynamic winger of years past. His influence on the game diminished, even if his statistics grew, making him more dependent on other players to put his stamp on the game. It is no coincidence that Ronaldo's biggest statistical output also coincided with him scoring a plethora of penalties. In 2011-12, when he scored 60 goals, he needed 14 penalties to get there. This year he relied on 13 penalties to put up his 61 goals. Of course his creating more assists attests to having more awareness around him, but the days of Ronaldo running through defenders and his step overs seem a thing of the past.

As Ronaldo became more of a specialist and perhaps more peripheral, Messi expanded his game, becoming more involved in the buildup than ever before.  He became Barcelona's motor, and the fact that he was put on the wing did not limit him in the least. He likely has the benefit of playing with two world class forwards, perhaps better than any other he has ever played with in his entire career, but this is a Messi that on his own can take over a game and mold it in his will. His scoring in 2015 (35 goals and 18 assists in just 34 games!) has only emphasized his ability to finish and create at an overwhelming level.

While Ronaldo clearly edged his rival in the statistics (and mainly goal scoring), Messi has two cups that he literally won himself. This season belonged to one player early on, but when all is said and done, it is clear who was the true champion.