Written by: Tanveer Ali
Posted on: July 31, 2024 | 
| 中文
Christiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi playing for Real Madrid and Barcelona in 2015
Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo are unarguably the most skilled, popular and accomplished footballers in the world, as both have over 800 club goals and 100 international goals in their illustrious careers. The Argentina-born Lionel Messi and Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, started their careers around the same time, in 2004, and their popularity has only risen since then. The comparison of the two rising stars first began in 2008, when they ended as runners-up to AC Milan’s Kaka in both FIFA World Player of the Year, best footballer award given by coaches and captains of international teams through voting, and Ballon d'Or, best player award given by the international panel of sports journalists through voting.
Messi and Ronaldo pose for a picture before the 2022 FIFA World Cup
The Messi-Ronaldo rivalry is the most talked about sporting rivalry in sport’s history, as it surpasses the big four debate in men's tennis (the discussion on who was better between Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray) or the ongoing Fab 4 debate in cricket (better batter between Virat Kohli, Kane Willamson, Joe Root and Steve Smith). Ronaldo is known for his athleticism, heading ability, free kicks and goal-scoring skills, while Messi is famous for his dribbling, playmaking, goal-scoring and being a team player.
The Messi and Ronaldo debate has divided football fans, players, coaches and pundits into two opposing camps, each considering their favorite the greatest of all time (GOAT). There is no doubt that both have been spectacular players throughout their careers and have won almost every competition and individual award. As these players are in the twilight of their careers, the dust around the debate has completely settled overwhelmingly in favor of Lionel Messi. Ronaldo’s fanbase will contest this claim, but they cannot deny the fact that Messi has surpassed Ronaldo in almost every aspect of the game: both individually and collectively at both club and country levels.
Lionel Messi, his wife and kids with the FIFA WC 2022 trophy
To test the claims above, we will judge both Messi and Ronaldo on several parameters such as goals scored for club and country, assists provided, performances in the domestic league and Champions League, individual accolades like Ballon d’Or, European Golden Shoe, and trophies with the national team such as World Cup, Euros and Copa America and how both fared in each competition. Here we go:
Both Ronaldo and Messi have been prolific goal-scorers throughout their club careers, which established them as the best players of their generation. Ronaldo is Real Madrid’s top scorer with 450 goals, whereas Messi is Barcelona and club football’s record goal-scorer with 672 goals. In overall club football, Ronaldo has scored 765 goals (1019 games) compared to Messi’s 729 (882 games). Ronaldo has played 137 more club games than Messi but has only 36 more goals. The 37-year-old Messi’s goals-per-game ratio is 0.826, which is far superior to Ronaldo’s goals-per-game ratio of 0.750. Whereas, Messi has 388 assists compared to Ronaldo’s 276 in club football. Thus, Messi has 1212 goal contributions (goals & assists) to Ronaldo’s 1147, despite playing 137 fewer games. Messi’s superior assists also reveal that the Argentinian star is a team player, while his Portuguese counterpart focuses on individual brilliance.
Ronaldo celebrates winning the Premier League with Manchester United with his mother, Dolores Aveiro, in May 2009. (Alex Livesey from Getty Images)
In Champions League football, the most popular club competition in football, Ronaldo has scored 140 goals in 183 games whereas Messi has netted 129 goals in 163 games. Although Ronaldo has more goals, Messi has a better goal-to-game ratio here as well. In terms of league goals, Ronaldo has 547 goals (668 games) compared to Messi’s 509 goals (596 games). Here as well, Messi has a better goal-per-game ratio than Ronaldo. In his entire career, Messi has won twelve league titles while Ronaldo has won just seven. Ronaldo has five Champions League trophies compared to Messi’s four.
Major National Team Trophies and Individual Accolades: With his national team, Portugal, Ronaldo won the Euro 2016 and lost the final to Greece in 2004. He also won the Nations League with Portugal in 2019. Whereas, Messi has won Copa America twice (2021 & 2024), the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and the 2022 Finalissima (competition between champions of COPA America and UEFA Euro Champions) in his career. While he has also lost 3 Copa Americas finals (2007, 2015 & 2016) and the 2014 World Cup final. He was the player of the tournament in the FIFA World Cup (WC) 2014, COPA America 2015, Copa America 2021 and the 2022 FIFA WC. He was also the man of the match in the 2022 WC Final.
France's Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi during 2022 WC final.
Both Messi and Ronaldo have amassed every individual award that exists in the footballing world, ranging from Ballon d’Or to FIFA World Player of the Year, and from European Golden Shoe to League’s top scorer trophy. On an individual level, Ronaldo has won five Ballon d’Ors, five FIFA World Player of the Year, four European Golden Shoes (best player in European League final), and a UEFA EURO Golden Boot (the award for leading goal-scorer) in 2021. Apart from that, Ronaldo has won 5 league top scorer awards across the Premier League, La Liga, and Seria A. For an entire decade and a half, Ronaldo was on top of his game winning these accolades. On the other hand, Messi has won eight Ballon d’Ors, eight FIFA World Player of the Year awards, six European Golden Shoes, the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball (best player in FIFA WC final) in 2014 and 2022, Copa America Golden Ball 2015 and 2021, Copa America Golden Boot 2021, and an Olympic Gold in 2008. Apart from this, Messi has eight league top scorer awards in La Liga during his reign. Messi has eclipsed Ronaldo in the individual awards category as well, which is substantiated by the numbers and figures provided above.
Messi and Ronaldo have ruled football since at least 2008, and inspired the upcoming generation of football players and fans alike. There is no doubt Ronaldo is a once-in-a-lifetime athlete to grace the football field. His incredible goal-scoring pursuits as well as his athletic nature has provided huge entertainment to the spectators. While Ronaldo is good, Messi is a different gravy altogether. He is unmatched in the sheer brilliance of football intelligence, combined with an aesthetically pleasing way of playing football. It looks as if Messi is weaving magic on the field. You are bound to be mesmerized by the abundance of talent, hard work and a never-say-never attitude that he exudes. He is more of a holistic footballer than Ronaldo, involved not only in goal-scoring but also in creating opportunities for his teammates as well as bisecting defenses with his passes.
Ronaldo help Messi in standing up, during a La Liga Match in 2017
In a recent survey, 28 famous footballers and renowned football managers were asked to choose the better footballer between Messi and Ronaldo, and 21 voted in favor of Messi, while seven dubbed Ronaldo as the better player. It is almost a unanimous opinion amongst elite footballers, coaches and pundits that Messi has surpassed Ronaldo as a better player, and has established a footballing legacy unmatched by any other player. As they say, football is not always about statistics; sometimes it’s the aesthetics and the interplay of magic and brilliance, which is the hallmark of Messi, the greatest of all times (GOAT).
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