A severe dialogue level on five-a-side pitches and barstools internationally, the difficulty of which participant is the best of all time persists
Cristiano Ronaldo versus Lionel Messi – who’s the GOAT? It’s the greatest conundrum in soccer because the ‘Diego Maradona or Pele?’ debate.
The query of who is healthier between the Portuguese phenomenon and the empyrean Argentine has dominated the minds of soccer followers in all places for the previous decade and can persist into the long run.
Membership and nationwide loyalties can cloud judgement on the matter, whereas personalities additionally play a component in how good a participant is perceived to be, and most of the people know who they’d decide.
So who actually is the best of all time? By no means thoughts who you like, GOAL has taken a take a look at how the pair really form up head-to-head so that you could be totally armed with details within the everlasting argument.Â
On this web page
- Membership objectives
- Membership assists
- Champions League
- World Cup
- Worldwide
- Titles
- Particular person awards
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: Membership objectives
Ronaldo has scored extra membership objectives than Messi, however solely simply and it needs to be famous that the Manchester United star advantages from having performed two extra seasons than his Argentine nemesis up to now.
Every of them has remarkably netted over 690 membership objectives of their profession to this point, with the 5 seasons between 2009-10 and 2014-15 proving notably golden as they pushed one another to higher heights.
Whereas Ronaldo presently has extra objectives total, Messi has the sting within the scoring division, with the next season common (37.9Â to 35), having hit a excessive of 73 objectives in 2011-12, although his common dropped after a disappointing maiden marketing campaign at PSG in 2021-22.
Ronaldo’s highest season return was 61, which he achieved in 2014-15, and he surpassed the 50-goal mark each season for six years between 2010-11 and 2015-16.
Apparently, whereas Ronaldo’s seasonal totals have declined considerably in recent times – he failed to interrupt the 30-goal mark in 2018-19 throughout his first season at Juventus – Messi’s have remained constant, although the Argentine’s fee slowed after becoming a member of PSG.
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: Membership assists
On the subject of assists, Messi is way superior to Ronaldo and that distinction has turn out to be more and more stark as their respective roles evolve.
The truth that Messi creates so many objectives in addition to scoring them is a serious consideration when deciding which participant is the GOAT and, whereas Ronaldo chips in along with his fair proportion, the distinction on this specific realm is stark.
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: Champions League stats
*As of Champions League video games performed in 2022-23.
Ronaldo is the all-time main goalscorer within the Champions League, having shone within the competitors with Manchester United and Actual Madrid specifically.
Nonetheless, Messi is not far behind and truly has a fractionally higher goal-per-game ratio, so there’s a good likelihood that he may overtake the Man United man if he continues to glitter within the competitors .
Ronaldo additionally holds the file for many total Champions League appearances, having overtaken Iker Casillas.
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: World Cup stats
On the subject of World Cups, Ronaldo and Messi are thought of underperformers because of the easy indisputable fact that neither has gained the competitors.
Portugal star Ronaldo has scored extra objectives on the event and in fewer appearances, however Messi can declare to have gone furthest, having reached the ultimate with Argentina in 2014. The PSG attacker gained the Golden Ball throughout that event, regardless of lacking out on the last word glory by the hands of Germany.
The furthest Ronaldo reached with Portugal was the Selecao’s run to the semi-final in 2006, when they had been crushed by France earlier than shedding the third-place play-off towards Germany.
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: Worldwide stats
Ronaldo and Messi have comparable information at worldwide stage, although Ronaldo boasts higher numbers, partly as a result of his senior Portugal profession kicked off two years earlier than Messi’s with Argentina.
Ronaldo equalled Ali Daei’s file of 109 worldwide objectives at Euro 2020 after which surpassed it with two objectives towards the Republic of Eire, changing into the highest worldwide goalscorer of all time.
Messi is a great distance behind Ronaldo in that respect, although he’s by a long way Argentina’s high goalscorer of all time, surpassing the good Gabriel Batistuta some years in the past.
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: Titles
*Nationwide Cups refers back to the essential nationwide cup competitors in a rustic solely, e.g. the FA Cup, Copa del Rey and so forth.
Messi and Ronaldo have very comparable trophy hauls, however Messi edges issues in relation to league titles, having gained La Liga 10 instances with Barcelona. Ronaldo has seven league titles, however in contrast to Messi, he can declare to have gained the league in three completely different international locations (England, Spain and Italy) – one thing that will increase his declare to the GOAT crown within the eyes of some.
Ronaldo has an edge over Messi within the Champions League, his love affair with the competitors incomes him the moniker ‘Mr Champions League’. The Manchester United star has additionally loved notable success on the worldwide stage with Portugal, profitable the European Championship and the UEFA Nations League.
Messi, then again, has endured appreciable heartache with Argentina, with 4 unsuccessful Copa America campaigns, three of which noticed them lose within the closing. He lastly bought his palms on the Copa in 2021, earlier than going to win the 2022 Finalissima. Whereas neither has gained the World Cup, Messi has an Olympic gold medal.
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: Particular person awards
The person battle between Ronaldo and Messi has been the defining characteristic of contemporary soccer for the previous decade and extra.
Messi went forward of Ronaldo within the Ballon d’Or stakes when he gained his sixth in 2019 and cemented his superior standing in that discipline along with his seventh in 2021.
Ronaldo does boast extra of FIFA’s new ‘The Greatest’ awards and has been topped UEFAÂ Participant of the 12 months on extra events, however Messi has gained extra league Participant of the 12 months accolades. In fact, it should be stated that Ronaldo has gained the Participant of the 12 months award in England, Spain and Italy.
Messi has bought his palms on the European Golden Shoe a file six instances, which is 2 greater than Ronaldo, and is marginally forward of his rival total, however the truth that each have been on the FIFPro World XI 14 instances is an illustration of how intently fought the battle has been.