Messi or
Ronaldo who is the true GOAT in world football? Considered as the biggest
conundrum in world football only comparable to the Diego Maradona vs Pele
debate. The question up for debate here is who is better when comparing the
Portuguese phenomenon and the Argentinian empyrean has conquered the mind of every
single football fan everywhere for the past decade and will no doubt persist
into the future.
Loyalties
towards Clubs and their respective nations can often cloud judgment on the
whole matter, while personality is often considered a key role in the perception
of a player and is often a deciding factor for most when deciding who they
would pick.
Without
further ado let’s look at who is truly the greatest of all time? We are now
going to have a look at how both players shape up head-to-head so you are fully
armed with facts in the everlasting argument.
Club
Goals
Cristiano
Ronaldo leads the charts in this department with more club goals than Lionel
Messi, but only just and this underlines with the fact that the Juventus and
Portuguese superstar benefits having played two more seasons than his
Argentinian enemy so far.
With both
superstars netting over 630 goals throughout their illustrious careers so far,
with 5 seasons from 2009-10 to 2014-15 proving golden and the beginning period
of both geniuses pushing each other towards greater heights.
Though
Ronaldo currently has more overall goals, Messi has the edge when it comes to
the scoring department, with a higher goal’s in a season average (40) compared
to Cristiano Ronaldo’s 35 having hit new heights with a world record 73 goals
in the 2011-12 season.
Ronaldo’s
highest goal season return was 61, a feat which he achieved during the 2014-15
season and has since then surpassed the 50 goal mark every single season for 6
years between 2010-11 to 2015-16.
On an
interesting note, it is to be noted that whilst Ronaldo’s seasonal totals have
somewhat declined in the recent years this includes failing to break the
30-goal mark in his first season at Juventus, Messi’s seasonal goals totals
have remained consistent.
Club
Assists
In terms of
assists, Messi is far superior to Ronaldo and this contrast has become
progressively severe as their respective roles have grown. This is on the basis
that Messi other than scoring goals creates a lot of them also which is a big
factor to take into consideration when determining which player is the GOAT
and, although Ronaldo does chip in with his fair share of assists, the
difference in this department is rather clear.
Champions
League Stats
Ronaldo
holds the record for being the all-time leading goalscorer in the champions
league competition having excelled with Manchester United and Real Madrid in
particular winning the tournament 5 times- 1 with Manchester United and 4 with
Real Madrid.
However,
Messi is not too far behind and actually possesses a fractionally better
goal-per-game ratio, so there is every chance that he may overtake the Juventus
man if he continues to shine in the competition.
World
Cup Stats
When it
comes to an international tournament such as the prestigious world cup, both
Ronaldo and Messi have often been considered as underperformers and probably
with good reason. The Portuguese superstar Ronaldo has scored more goals at the
tournament in fewer appearances however, Messi is able to further claim going
further in the tournament having reached the final with Argentina in the 2014
FIFA World Cup Final’s held in Brazil. The Barcelona forward also won the
Golden Ball during the tournament, despite actually missing out on the ultimate
glory as Argentina narrowly lost in the final to eventual world cup winners
Germany. The furthest that Ronaldo has reached in the world cup is the
semi-finals in 2006 where they were beaten by eventual winners France before
going onto lose the third-place play-off game to Germany.
International
Stats
When it
comes to stats at international level both Ronaldo and Messi’s records are
similar, even though Ronaldo possesses greater numbers, a large factor being
that his senior Portugal international career kicked off two years before Messi
begun his career with Argentina.
Ronaldo has
already surpassed Ali Daei’s record of 109 goals in international football thus
making him the top international goalscorer of all time.
In that
respect Messi finds himself a long way behind Ronaldo, even though he alone
remains Argentina’s top goalscorer of all time by some distance, surpassing the
record held by fellow Argentine Forward Gabriel Batistuta some years ago.
Title’s
In terms of
titles won between both players, both Messi and Ronaldo have a very similar
haul of trophies, but Messi edges it when it comes to league titles, having won
La Liga 10 times with Barcelona. Ronaldo has 7 league titles, however unlike
Messi he can make a claim to have won the league in three different countries
(England, Spain and Italy)- this is something which increases his claim as the
GOAT of all time.
Ronaldo
holds the edge over Messi when it comes to Champions League titles, the
Portuguese playmakers love affair with the competition earned him the nickname
‘Mr Champions League’. The former Manchester United player has also enjoyed
distinguished success on the international stage, winning both the European
Championship and the UEFA Nations League.
In stark
contrast Messi, on the other hand has endured international heartache with
Argentina, this including 4 unsuccessful Copa America campaigns of which in 3
campaigns saw then lose in the final. Though neither can claim to have won the
world cup, Messi does hold an Olympic gold medal.
Individual Award’s
The individual battle which has
taken place between Ronaldo and Messi has been described as the defining
feature of modern football for over a decade and beyond.
During the stakes for football’s prestigious
Ballon d’OR award Messi surpassed Ronaldo as he achieved his 6th in
2019 and it looks ever likely that he will remain ahead, with the postponement
of the 2020 award due to the coronavirus pandemic, this means that the next
opportunity for Ronaldo to have chance to win will come in 2021, by which point
he will be 36 years of age.
Ronaldo however, does boast more of
FIFA’S new ‘The Best’ awards alongside being crowned UEFA player of the year on
more occasions, however, Messi has achieved more league player of the year
honours. It must be stated that Ronaldo has won the Player of the Year award in
3 different countries (England, Italy and Spain).
Messi though, has had his hands on
the European Golden Shoe for a record sixth time, which is two more than
Ronaldo, and remains marginally ahead of his rival overall, however the fact
that both have been included in the FIFPro World XI an astonishing 13 times
just provides you with an image as to how closely fought the battle has been between
these two world class players.
With both
players now in their mid-30’s and playing in different leagues the number of
frequent meetings between these two players is seriously in doubt. Whether it
is the last time we see these two greats play against each other or not, it is
a moment certainly to be savoured, as it has now become a privilege watching
these two greats in action.
So, the serious
question, who in your mind is the true GOAT of all-time Messi or Ronaldo?
13 Jan 2021