Lionel Messi Vs. Ronaldo: Who Will Retire As The Ultimate GOAT?
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are the two greatest players that have ever played football. Both have made a significant contribution to the game. These two also have a great rivalry and probably the biggest one in any sport. Messi and Ronaldo competed at the top level and were also playing for big rival teams. After a great time on the field, both are heading to the last phase of their illustrious careers. Now the debate is, “Who will retire as the GOAT?”
Lionel Messi: Argentine sensation
Lionel Messi started his career at Barcelona. A debut in the 2004-05 season was just the beginning of a great career. At a very young age, Messi became a part of a star-studded squad. He had to find his way into the first team. In a few years, Messi became the best player and won four consecutive Ballon d’Ors. He was the face of Barcelona.
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Messi won 10 league titles in Spain and two for PSG. He also led Barcelona to four UEFA Champions Leagues, including two trebles in 2008-09 and 2014-15.
At the international level, Leo won the 2008 Olympic Gold Medal. In 2014, Argentina lost the final of the World Cup. Messi won the Golden Ball but couldn’t take his team over the line. He finally broke the international drought by winning the Copa America in 2021 and then in 2024. The biggest achievement came when he won the 2022 World Cup.
Portuguese goal-machine: Cristiano Ronaldo
At 40, Cristiano Ronaldo is only chasing one thing and that is 1000 career goals. Ronaldo started at Sporting CP but made a name for himself at Manchester United. After a few years in England, Ronaldo moved to Real Madrid.
Cristiano broke several records for the Los Blancos and led them to a few titles. He is known as “Mr. Champions League” for scoring the most goals in the European competition. Ronaldo also had plenty of success with Madrid and led them to four European titles.
In 2016, Ronaldo won the Euro with Portugal. He added an international trophy before Messi.
Individual awards: Lionel Messi
Ballon d’Or: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2023
FIFA Golden Ball: 2014, 2022
FIFA Silver Boot: 2022
League titles: 12
UEFA Champions League: 4
Individual awards: Cristiano Ronaldo
Ballon d’Or: 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017
League titles: 7
UEFA Champions League: 5
Who is the GOAT?
Messi and Ronaldo shared 10 Ballon d’Ors from 2008 to 2017. This shows the amount of talent these two possessed. One year Messi was the best player and the next time Ronaldo stood out as the better player. This competition made them better.
Leo has more trophies and that World Cup win in Qatar was the cherry at the top. Imagine witnessing two football giants and none of them even won a World Cup. Messi broke that curse. This will be a great factor in labeling Messi as the GOAT. However, if Ronaldo continues to score and gets past that 1000-goal mark, then the debate will be more interesting. Their fanbase is so vast and strong leading to a forever debate.
