Why pre-match entertainment should be more... Americanised.

I remember when I was a good foot or so shorter than I am now, back in the days when I went to the football and bought a teddy bear instead of a pint, a chocolate bar instead of a pie, the days when I first used to get that all-too-familiar buzz as the atmosphere of a football match greeted me with roaring occasion. In particular, I remember my very first game as a youngster, sitting in the first row of the family stand right next to the corner flag, and watching our team's forwards partake in some target practice before rushing back into the changing rooms.

I also remember the mascot, only too well. He used to scare the absolute hell out of me. For a start, I couldn't get my head around why a huge cockerel was prancing about on the sidelines of a football match cheering people on. What did this bird have to do with football? Why was he given a name, and why was this poor sod called Chirpy? I remember him running up to me and shaking my hand, whilst my dad proudly smiled before promptly laughing after seeing my face screwed up and me hiding for shelter as this man-size bird flocked toward me.

At the time - as I'm sure most children felt - I was scared for my life at this mascot. But now it's plain to see he was just doing his job, and I can't fault the man in the bird costume for trying to lift the crowd before their team ran out on the pitch, savouring the moment a stadium full of fans would sing their praises. Chirpy served as the perfect pre-game booster, and without him there wouldn't be near as much anticipation and pre-game 'buzz' ringing around the stadium.

The thing is, us Brits love doing things half-hearted. Mascots and entertainment are no exceptions. Since being a youngster, sat in the corner of the stadium and virtually tucked away into nothingness, I can't remember the last time I saw Chirpy anywhere near the pitch. To put this in perspective, I've been a season ticket holder for 4 years - that's 72 games, and 72 chances to see a man dressed in a cockerel outfit prancing around the field. I didn't.

Whilst singing is always a solid way of uniting thousands of fans - just look at West Ham's 'Forever Blowing Bubbles' chant - we really could benefit from taking a leaf out of the Americans' book.

Pre-game entertainment across the pond is as big as the game itself. The NFL's Superbowl is designated a day in America, it's that big - not to mention its half-time show (show!) attracting such big names as Madonna, Nicki Minaj and The Black Eyed Peas. NBA often also give fans the chance to win thousands of dollars by shooting hoops. Every NFL team has a mascot, fleets of cheerleaders flock to centre circles in fields and courts nationwide shaking pom poms to adorning fans, and the omission of a marching band along the bleachers is virtually unheard of.

TV audiences would sky-rocket whilst tickets would no doubt sell like hot cakes if this were applicable in the UK. The cliche 'everything's bigger in America' has never been more suited than here, but quite rightly in this matter. I know for sure if my favourite team's pitch was invaded for 15 minutes before the match and 15 minutes during half-time for a piece of entertainment perfection I would definitely skip the queues for the pies. In a society driven off entertainment, constantly striving for new thrills and experiences that last a lifetime, half-time and pre-game shows would be a terrific start. All it would probably take is a slightly higher ticket price, and when my favourite football team charge upwards of £50 for a ticket as it is, a few pounds extra would hardly detract me from picking up the phone and booking my seat, that's for sure.

Cristiano Ronaldo: Too long in Messi's shadow...

It seems week in week out La Liga legend Lionel Messi is breaking records at his own free will. Only recently he broke the long-standing record for most Champions League goals for Barcelona, whilst his league and cup goal tallies purely compliment this statistic. He is the current Ballon D'or holder, as well as the world's best goalscorer in any league - not even Huddersfield's Jordan Rhodes can keep up, who is scoring almost for fun down in League One.

However, what with all this publicity and awe over the nifty Argentine, there is an elephant the size of a sperm whale in the corner of the room. No disrespect to Lionel Messi - after all, it's no fluke that he's got to where he has and any recognition to his remarkable talent is well-deserved - but why isn't Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (or Cristiano Ronaldo, as he is better known as) receiving such legendary credentials by the press, the public, and the footballing world?

During his time at Manchester United over five years ago, Ronaldo was quickly dubbed one of Sir Alex Ferguson's most successful signings yet during the Scot's 26-year-and-counting managerial reign. Fair enough, public blunders such as Ronaldo's activity during the 2006 World Cup quarter-final between England and Portugal, whereupon he suggested Wayne Rooney should (and was) sent off for his stamp on Ricardo Carvalho, haven't helped ignite his career for the better - and it's perhaps easy to see why the winger dubbed 'the winker' doesn't get the credit he deserves by some England football fans.

However, his scoring tallies have helped put Real Madrid firmly on course for the La Liga title this year, with newspapers having to constantly create new headlines for each hat-trick or two-goal haul Ronaldo manages - something which is happening almost on a weekly basis in Spain. Indeed, last month he too broke records, having scored 100 La Liga goals in the fastest amount of time since a player's arrival after his brace against Real Sociedad on 24th March. This rout was achieved after just 92 games, surpassing the record previously held by Real Madrid legend Ferenc Puskas. Lionel Messi didn't even come close to breaking it.

Whilst at Manchester United, the winger racked up 84 goals in his 196 appearances - almost one goal every two games, and a record any striker would be proud of holding. This was to be just the beginning of a prodigy.

Ronaldo has taken to life in La Liga like a fish to water, with the league's fast-paced openness suiting his playing style to a tee. He's already scored more goals whilst at Real Madrid than he did whilst at United, at a remarkable rate of 1.1 goals per game too. Bookies are so assured that he will feature on the scoresheet that the odds of him grabbing a goal is often so low it's almost impossible to profit from. It comes as little surprise then that this weekend saw Ronaldo net his seventh hat-trick of the 2011/12 campaign.

To put this in retrospect, since Messi's arrival at Barcelona he's working up 0.76 goals per game - three in every four matches. Fair enough, he did come up through the youth system and thus featured through a string of substitute appearances, but why does he warrant so much more recognition than Ronaldo?

I won't deny that Messi can easily change games. Just his presence alone on a pitch is enough to make any full-back uncomfortable for 90 tortuous minutes. But, the same can be said about Ronaldo. Messi also isn't scared to take on defenders - in fact, he is actively jinxing around the pitch with the ball glued to his feet and opponents stumbling over themselves just to attempt to get a tackle in - well, so does Ronaldo. Furthermore, Messi possesses such flair and flawless technique his 1-on-1 finishing is next to nothing - just like Ronaldo's. I'm sure you can see a pattern emerging.

There's nothing more tantalising for a journalist than to compare players, I understand that. However, endless newspapers, magazines and broadcasters revel in comparing these two playmakers yet seem to always edge towards Messi's camp. Even when they've both delivered man of the match performances, producing goals and creating chances, Messi still triumphs. What gives? Will Ronaldo ever get his time in the spotlight, or will the three-year gap in Messi's favour prove the ultimate disadvantage to Ronaldo in this ongoing battle? Either way, Ronaldo's table-topping performances has nowhere near as much recognition that it warrants and this needs changing. He can even take free kicks, regularly scoring - so why is he still second best?