Messi vs Ronaldo: Who is the GOAT of Soccer?

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are the most iconic soccer players of this generation. A comparison is often made between them, who is the G.O.A.T. of soccer? Both the players are contemporary and reached the top of the game with exceptional skills, consistency, and persistence.

Messi vs Ronaldo: Who is the Best?

GOAT of soccer
Messi vs Ronaldo

This debate is making headlines every now and then, who is better? Is it, Messi or Ronaldo? Both the players have achieved something that no athlete has done before. The comparison is obvious as their careers coincide and they are ruling the soccer world for the past decade.

DetailsLionel Messi Cristiano Ronaldo
CountryArgentinaPortugal
Birth24 Jun 1987
(35 years)
5 Feb 1985
(37 years)
GameSoccerSoccer
PositionForwardForward/Winger
Appearances10031145
Goals 793819
Assists350234
Hat-tricks5660

Here, we are making a comparison of various aspects of their career and will try to find out, who is the real GOAT of Soccer.

Messi vs Ronaldo: International Career

DetailsLionel Messi Cristiano Ronaldo
Appearances172196
Goals98118
Assists5333

Lionel Messi is an extremely talented forward who made his debut for the senior Argentina team back in 2005 against Hungary. He is the third-leading international goal scorer with 94 goals under his name and also the all-time highest goal scorer for Argentina.

Ronaldo started playing for senior Portugal’s National Team in 2003 since then he is a member of the team as a lead striker and won the UEFA Euro 2016 Cup. He is the all-time leading goal scorer in international men’s soccer history with 118 goals.

Ronaldo made their debut two years before Messi and played more matches so he has more international goals under his name. Ronaldo has a better goals-per-game record but Messi has a better goal-assist record.

Messi vs Ronaldo: Club Career

DetailsLionel MessiCristiano Ronaldo
Appearances831949
Goals695701
Assists297201

Soccer is mostly dominated by leagues of various countries. Messi played a major portion of his career for the Spanish club Barcelona and now he is playing in a Ligue 1 club Paris St. Germain. Ronaldo played for Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus in his club career.

Ronaldo was picked by Sir Alex Ferguson while playing for Sporting CP against Man. Utd. back in 2003. But his exemplary performance was witnessed when he started playing for Real Madrid in 2009.

Ronaldo has played more games and scored more goals in his club career, but Messi is not far behind. Also, Messi faired well in the number of assists. So, Messi has a better overall goal contribution.

Messi vs Ronaldo: World Cups

DetailsLionel Messi Cristiano Ronaldo
Appearances2622
Goals128
Assists82

Both Messi and Ronaldo are playing their record fifth world cup in 2022. In the world cups, Messi has a better record in terms of the number of goals and assists but Ronaldo faired well in goal-per-game statistics.

After the 2022 Qatar World Cup, new records will be made by these players and try to win the world’s most popular sporting title of the soccer world cup for their country.

Messi vs Ronaldo: Major Trophies

TrophyLionel Messi Cristiano Ronaldo
World Cup10
League Titles117
Champions League45
UEFA Super Cup33
Domestic Cups76
Olympics10
Club World Cup34

Messi won the 2022 world cup but Ronaldo never won a FIFA World Cup. Argentina was also the runner-up in the 2014 Brazil World Cup.

Messi won 11 league titles whereas Ronaldo won 7. Ronaldo has won 5 UEFA champions league playing for Real Madrid and also more club world cups. Both players have won a significant number of trophies in their careers.

Messi vs Ronaldo: Individual Awards

AwardsLionel Messi Cristiano Ronaldo
Ballon d’Or75
UEFA Player of the Year34
FIFA World Player of the Year65
European Golden Shoe64
World Cup Golden Ball10
Champions League Top Scorer56
Player of the Year (league)64

Messi has won record 7 times, the Ballon d’Or award, whereas Ronaldo won 5 times, which is the highest soccer award given every year.

No doubt Messi has more individual awards but Ronaldo has been the champions league top scorer 6 times and UEFA player of the year 4 times and that is more than Messi.

Messi vs Ronaldo: Salary and Net Worth

DetailsLionel Messi Cristiano Ronaldo
Net Worth$640 Million$534 Million
Salary$79 Million$63 Million

According to Sun, Messi has more current net worth and salary. But the popularity of Ronaldo on social media platforms makes him more brandable also he owns the brand named CR7.

Conclusion

The competition between them is tough, and the answer to this conundrum is yet to be deciphered. Both players excel in one or the other departments.

Messi has a better overall goal contribution record but Ronaldo scored more hat-tricks under his name. So the answer to this question is to be left to the reader’s conscience. But Messi has faired well in most of the factors.

FAQ

Who has scored the most non-penalty goals in the history of soccer?

1. Lionel Messi (686)
2. Cristiano Ronaldo (673)
3. Pele (671)

Also Read:

  1. 7 reasons why football is the most popular sport in the world
  2. Best Soccer Documentaries to watch in 2022
  3. 7 Benefits of playing Soccer 2022

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