The question of who the best player of all time is continues to be a contentious topic on five-a-side fields and bar stools around the world.
Cristiano Ronaldo versus Lionel Messi – who is the GOAT? It is the biggest conundrum in football since the ‘Diego Maradona or Pele?’ debate.
The debate over who is superior between the Argentine empyrean and the Portuguese phenomenon has preoccupied football fans’ minds for the past ten years and will continue to do so in the future.
Club and country allegiances can skew opinions, and personalities can affect how well a player is viewed, with most people having a clear idea of who they would choose.
So who is the best person that has ever lived? Infotrend will explain how the two genuinely compare head-to-head so you can enter the never-ending conversation well informed, regardless of who you like.
On this page
Club goals
Club assists
Champions League
World Cup
International
Titles
Individual awards
Ronaldo has scored more club goals than Messi, but only just and it should be noted that the Manchester United star benefits from having played two more seasons than his Argentine nemesis thus far.
Over 690 club goals have been scored in total by each of them in their respective careers, with the five seasons between 2009–10 and 2014–15 proving especially fruitful as they encouraged one another to reach new heights.
While Ronaldo presently holds the advantage in terms of total goals, Messi has the advantage in terms of season average (37.9 to 35), having reached a high of 73 goals in 2011–12, however his average plummeted after a dismal first season with PSG in 2021–22.
Ronaldo’s highest season return was 61, which he achieved in 2014-15, and he surpassed the 50-goal mark every season for six years between 2010-11 and 2015-16.
Interestingly, while Ronaldo’s seasonal totals have declined somewhat in recent years – he failed to break the 30-goal mark in 2018-19 during his first season at Juventus – Messi’s have remained consistent, though the Argentine’s rate slowed after joining PSG.
When it comes to assists, Messi is much superior to Ronaldo and that contrast has become increasingly stark as their respective roles evolve.
The fact that Messi creates so many goals as well as scoring them is a major consideration when deciding which player is the GOAT and, while Ronaldo chips in with his fair share, the difference in this particular realm is stark.
Ronaldo is the all-time leading goalscorer in the Champions League, having shone in the competition with Manchester United and Real Madrid in particular.
However, Messi isn’t far behind and actually has a fractionally better goal-per-game ratio, so there is a good chance that he could overtake the Man United man if he continues to sparkle in the competition .
Ronaldo also holds the record for most overall Champions League appearances, having overtaken Iker Casillas.
When it comes to World Cups, neither had won the competition until Argentina emerged victorious in 2022 following a string of sublime displays from Messi.
Portugal star Ronaldo had scored more goals and in fewer appearances heading into the 2022 World Cup, but Messi turned things around in Qatar as he led his country the way to the coveted trophy with an impressive seven goals and three assists.
The PSG ace scored at every stage of the competition and capped his fine performances with a brace in the final against France, before netting once more from 12 yards as Argentina proved to be the best after spot kicks (3-3 AET).
The furthest Ronaldo has reached with Portugal was the Selecao’s run to the semi-final in 2006, when they were beaten by France before losing the third-place play-off against Germany.
Ronaldo and Messi have fairly similar records at international level, though Ronaldo boasts greater numbers, partly because his senior Portugal career kicked off two years before Messi’s with Argentina.
Ronaldo equalled Ali Daei’s record of 109 international goals at Euro 2020 and then surpassed it with two goals against the Republic of Ireland, becoming the top international goalscorer of all time.
Messi is still a long way behind Ronaldo in that respect, though he is by some distance Argentina’s top goalscorer of all time, surpassing the great Gabriel Batistuta some years ago.
Messi and Ronaldo both have sizable trophy collections, but Messi has an advantage in league titles after winning La Liga 10 times with Barcelona and Ligue 1 once with PSG. Ronaldo has won seven league championships, but unlike Messi, he can lay claim to having done so in three different nations (England, Spain, and Italy). This, in some people’s eyes, strengthens his case for the GOAT title.
Ronaldo has an edge over Messi in the Champions League, his love affair with the competition earning him the moniker ‘Mr Champions League’. The Manchester United star has also enjoyed notable success on the international stage with Portugal, winning the European Championship and the UEFA Nations League.
Messi endured considerable heartache with Argentina early on in his international career, with four unsuccessful Copa America campaigns, three of which saw them lose in the final. But he finally got his hands on the Copa in 2021, before going to win the 2022 Finalissima and then the 2022 World Cup. Additionally, Messi has an Olympic gold medal.
Conclusion
Messi went ahead of Ronaldo in the Ballon d’Or stakes when he won his sixth in 2019 and cemented his superior status in that field with his seventh in 2021.
Ronaldo does boast more of FIFA’s new ‘The Best’ awards and has been crowned UEFA Player of the Year on more occasions, but Messi has won more league Player of the Year accolades. Of course, it must be said that Ronaldo has won the Player of the Year award in England, Spain and Italy.
Messi has got his hands on the European Golden Shoe a record six times, which is two more than Ronaldo, and is marginally ahead of his rival overall, but the fact that both have been on the FIFPro World XI 14 times is an illustration of how closely fought the battle has been.
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Sources: Infotrend.com.ng
