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Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi – Photo Source: Wikimedia

Cristiano Ronaldo “CR7” vs Messi: Who’s the G.O.A.T and Why

The debate on who’s the G.O.A.T between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi has been going on for over a decade now and does not seem to be ending in the nearest future. Since they broke onto the international football stage over a decade ago, the duo have dominated and won almost everything in the men’s sport.

To answer the question as to who’s the G.O.A.T, between Ronaldo and Messi is not as easy as many people would think. These are two individual players with two different backgrounds, unequal body physiques, and distinctive playing styles, and millions of loyal supporters back each. 

Before we try to answer this question, we must all remember that these two players have been playing at the highest level and outperforming their peers by a significant margin for over a decade now. They have also won over 70 trophies between them and top the list of the most decorated professional football players in history.

The debate on who is the G.O.A.T, between Ronaldo Messi has been debated for many years without anybody coming out with a universally acceptable answer. Regardless of people’s different opinions which are mostly based on clubs or country’s loyalties,  everybody agrees that both are the greatest football players in our generation.  

As a result of this unending debate, their rivalry has been compared to past sports rivalries like the Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier rivalry in boxing, the Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal rivalry in tennis, and the Senna vs. Prost rivalry in Formula One motor racing.

On their side, both players have denied the existence of any rivalry between them, terming it as the creation of the media. In a 2012 interview, Ronaldo commented on the rivalry, saying: “I think we push each other sometimes in the competition, this is why the competition is so high.” On the other hand, Messi denied any rivalry, saying it was “only the media, the press, who wants us to be at loggerheads but I’ve never fought with Cristiano.

To help our readers make an informed decision in answering the question of who is the G.O.A.T between the two players, let’s look at their career history,  career statistics, playing styles, and personal achievements.

See the Top 10 Facts about Lionel Messi Here

Ronaldo vs Messi Career History

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While Ronaldo started his youth and professional football career at sporting Lisbon before going on to play for Man United, Real Madrid, Juventus, and now AL-Nassar, Messi had spent his entire football career playing for Barcelona before he joined PSG in 2021.

Nothing excites those who favor Ronaldo more than this single fact. By playing and winning seven league titles in three different top European leagues, Ronaldo has an edge over Messi who before moving to French Ligue 1 in 2021  had only won all his titles in Spain.

However, it is good to note that both players spent nine seasons playing in the same league between 2009 and 2018. During this period Messi won 6 league titles with Barcelona while Ronaldo won 2 with Real Madrid.

In the  33 head-to-head matches that the players had faced each other,  Messi had emerged on top, winning 15 times against Ronaldo’s 9 times and the rest finishing in draws.

On 21 January 2023, the two played each other for the first time in over two years, as a combined team featuring Al-Hilal and Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr was defeated 4-5 by Messi’s Â鶹APP Saint-Germain in an exhibition friendly in Riyadh. Messi scored once and Ronaldo twice in the game, the game was described as potentially being the last-ever match featuring both players.

Ronaldo vs Messi Playing Styles

Lionel Messi – Player of the Year 2011 – Photo by Christopher Johnson From

Although they are both attacking players, their positioning and playing styles are totally different. Ronaldo likes to attack from the wings and can score with either of his foot, while Messi likes to penetrate the opposing defenses through the middle and predominantly scores with his left foot.

Watching both players in action, an unbiased person will obviously conclude that Messi is a more gifted ball carrier, has greater dribbling skills, and is more of a team player than Ronaldo is. Additionally, his short stature gives him a lower center of gravity than taller players, which gives him greater agility, allowing him to change direction more quickly and evade opposing tackles.

Messi is also a playmaker, which Ronaldo is not, he is extremely good at reading the game. He makes everybody playing around him better with his inch-perfect passes, which has made him one of the leading goal-assist providers in the history of the game.

While Ronaldo’s great pace and powerful shots from in or outside the box frighten all opposing goalkeepers, Messi’s ability to exploit small spaces between the defenders combined with his brain surgeon’s precision shots on goal makes him one of the prolific goal scorers of all time.

On the other hand, Ronaldo compensates for all that with his physical body strength and technical abilities which makes it very difficult for the opposing players to push him off the ball. He is also extremely fast when running with or without the ball, making him one of the most difficult attackers for defenders to mark or keep up with.

Additionally, his height of 1.87 meters combined with his strength and jumping ability makes him one of the best ball headers in the history of the game. Throughout his career he has scored close to 150 headed goals compare to Messi’s less than 30, winning hands down in that category.

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Ronaldo vs Messi Career Statistics

Cristiano Ronaldo – Player of the year 2008 – Photo by Jan S0L0 From

In order to be able to try and answer who is G.O.A.T between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, let’s compare both players’ all-time career statistics. These include club and national team appearances plus goals scored in all competitions.

In his senior career, which spans 2 decades now, Cristiano Ronaldo has made 1,144 match appearances and has scored 819 goals in the process. He has also provided 266 assists and has scored 60 hat-tricks in his career, four more than Messi who has 56 career hat-tricks.

On his side, Lionel Messi has made 1,023 match appearances in his senior career and has scored 796 goals in the process. He also holds a record for most goal assists provided with 388, which is 122 more than Ronaldo’s.

Looking at these statistics you will notice that Ronaldo has made more match appearances, scored more goals, and has more hat-tricks than his nemesis. However, with Ronaldo being a bit older and having played two more senior league seasons than Messi, we cannot expressly use these stats to determine who is the G.O.A.T between these two players.

Ronaldo vs Messi Individual Achievements

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi – Photo Source:

As in every other sport, football players are measured by the achievement they make throughout their playing careers. These include league titles won, Cups, international honors, and personal accolades like Ballon d’Or or FIFA World Player of the Year.

Throughout his career, Messi has won a total of 42 major trophies which include 10 league titles, 4 champion league titles, seven Copa del Rey titles, eight Spanish Super Cups, three European Super Cups, and three FIFA Club World Cups.

He also won Copa América in 2021 and the most prestigious of them all, the FIFA World cup title in 2022.

Individually, Messi is seven times winner of the Ballon d’Or award, 2009 FIFA World Player of the Year, 6 times European Golden Shoe winner, six times La Liga player of the year, and 2 times  FIFA World Cup Golden Ball winner.

Similarly, Ronaldo has made great achievements in his career. He has won 34 major trophies, including seven league titles and five Champions Leagues titles, and guided Portugal to their first UEFA Euro 2016 and 2019 UEFA Nations League trophies. He has also won four national cups, two league cups, seven national super cups, three European Super Cups, and four FIFA Club World Cups.

Additionally, Ronaldo is five times Ballon d’Or award winner, 2008 FIFA player of the year, 4 times European Golden shoe winner, 2 times premier league player of the season, 1 time and 2 times player of the season in Spain and Italy respectively.

Read the best of Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal Here

Conclusion

After looking at both players’ career histories, statistics, playing styles, and personal achievements, you can only conclude that they are the greatest football players of our time. 

The question of who’s the G.O.A.T between Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi and Why is a matter of personal opinion where Club and national loyalties can sometimes cloud people’s judgment.

Even after looking at both players’ individual statistics, it is still difficult to judge who is the better player than the other since football is a team sport where each player determines the other players’ individual performance.

In my own opinion as the writer of this article, I think Lionel Messi edges out Cristiano Ronaldo as the G.O.A.T solely because he has won the FIFA World Cup title and Ronaldo has not. I will anchor my opinion on the fact that Pele, who is still regarded as the greatest football player ever to walk the earth, became the G.O.A.T by winning 3 world cup titles and not  by his performances at the club level.