Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo is a long debate that divides the world of football into two parts. In the illustrious ongoing football careers of these two, no other footballer came close to these.
In the career of these two, some great players like Kaká, Fernando Torres, Xavi, Iniesta, Ibrahimovic, Lampard, Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, Neymar, Robert Lewandowski and Ribery also shared the competition, but none of them came close to the numbers of these two.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup will probably be the last World Cup they will play. But these two have marked the greatest rivalry not only in the history of football but also in the history of Sport.
Cristiano Ronaldo has won 5 Ballon d’Or trophies, while Messi has won 7 Ballon d’Or trophies. But Ronaldo has also gotten the most nominations for this trophy, which is around 18 times.
Cristiano Ronaldo Stats on Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is currently 37 years old and began his professional career at Sporting Lisbon. His famous performance earned him a transfer to Manchester United. He struggled in the early years, but soon began to adjust to the highest level of soccer.
His most successful first season was in 2008 when he won the Premier League and the Champions League with his brilliant Manchester team. But the highlight of his career came at Real Madrid when he won 4 Champions League trophies in his 9 years in the Spanish capital. His European record was not so good at Juventus. His return to Manchester United became more than a downer for his career.
In international soccer, Ronaldo is more impressive than his Argentine rival, Messi. Even though he becomes a controversial figure off the pitch, his stats and numbers show how great he is as a footballer.
His first major trophy with his National Team came after beating France in the EURO 2016 final. His last trophy with Portugal was the UEFA Nations League in 2019. In his long career, Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 818 goals with 234 assists in his 1,140 matches. A feat that has not been won by anyone. He is the top scorer in football history.
In international soccer, CR7 has scored 117 goals with 33 assists in 191 appearances. In the World Cup, Ronaldo has 7 goals and 2 assists in 17 appearances. But the World Cup is yet to figure in his trophy case of 34 trophies in his career.
Lionel Messi Stats
On the other hand, Lionel Messi is not far behind the best footballer in Europe. He made his professional debut for Barcelona in 2004. In his illustrious career, he has only changed clubs once. He became Barcelona’s main man and the whole team was built around him. But the fall of the Catalan club forced him to go to Paris Saint Germain.
Messi has won 41 trophies in his career. That doesn’t end there, as he holds the Guinness World Record for scoring 91 goals in a calendar year in 2012. That record has not been broken by any footballer.
Messi has 787 goals and a staggering 347 assists in 997 appearances. For his national team, Argentina, he has scored 92 goals with 50 assists in 166 appearances. In the World Cup, he has amassed 7 goals and 5 assists in 20 appearances. His best moment with Argentina in the World Cup was reaching the final in 2014.
Messi’s long-awaited international trophy with the Argentine national team came in the 2021 Copa América by beating Brazil in the final.
Also, Messi has more trophies than Cristiano Ronaldo. But in the case of goals, Ronaldo is a little better than Messi. The Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Messi debate will never end. But in international soccer, Ronaldo has won more trophies than his rival Messi. The Portuguese is arguably better than Lionel Messi as he plays for his respective national team.
Rio Ferdinand gave the best solution to the Messi vs Ronaldo debate a few years ago. While speaking to BT Sport, he once said: “People try to make comparisons about who’s better, just enjoy ’em man.”
How many goals and assists by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the World Cup?
Lionel Messi has scored 7 goals and 5 assists in his 20 World Cup appearances for Argentina. While Cristiano Ronaldo has 8 goals and 2 assists in 17 appearances for Portugal in the World Cup so far.
How many goals and assists in international football for them?
Messi has 92 goals and 50 assists for Argentina. Ronaldo has slightly better numbers with 117 goals and 33 assists for the Portugal team.
How many world cups have they played?
Both Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are going to play in the 5th World Cup, including this year’s World Cup.
