Ronaldo vs Messi

The greatest rivalry in the history of sport is slowly coming to a definite end.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have been the centre of attention in world football for over 2 decades. From both bursting onto the scene at Manchester United and Barcelona, to now heading into their 6th World Cups for their respective countries, it has been a magnificent spectacle throughout. From 2008-2023, only two players managed to snatch the Ballon d’Or away from either of these two (Luka Modric in 2018 and Karim Benzema in 2022), Messi leads the golden ball battle with 8, as Cristiano sits behind on 5. This rivalry has kept millions debating for several years, but it now seems to be getting clearer and clearer that Lionel Messi has crowned himself as the Greatest of All Time. 

Going back to the start of their careers, Lionel Messi announced himself to the world in a generational Barcelona side, with names like Ronaldinho, Puyol, Xavi and so many more dominating LaLiga. Lots of football fans regarded this as the toughest side in the world at that time. So, the platform for Messi to shine and showcase his ability to the highest possible level was always given to him. Whereas Ronaldo was brought into a Premier League riddled with Arsenal invincibility and Chelsea dominance. Yes, Manchester United were still arguably the main firepower of the league, but it was the most equal English football had looked in years. But in came Cristiano Ronaldo, a shy and skinny Portuguese teenager with heaps of ability. Did it take him a season or two to properly settle in? Yes, but once he found his groove, he was near impossible to stop. 3 Premier League titles in a row from 2006-2009, a Champions League victory in 2008, and a handful of FA Cups and EFL Cups. Many regard his 2008 season in Manchester Red as the greatest individual season in Premier League history.

It didn’t take long for football fans to see that these two youngsters were going to be the talk of the town for numerous years to come. Both could light a game on fire with a mere step-over, and both (on countless occasions) got on the scoresheet to secure three points. From the ages of 18-24, they were inseparable at the top, Ballon d’Ors became a two-pronged contest, but from 2009-2012, it was Messi mania. 4 consecutive wins, and it felt that not even Cristiano could stop him getting more. But alas, the Portuguese clawed back, making it 5 apiece after his back-to-back wins in 2013-2014 and 2016-2017. 

When Ronaldo decided his time in England was up, it sparked a whole new level of footballing debate, as on the 6th July 2009 he unveiled himself as a Real Madrid player to a sold out Santiago Bernabéu, and from that point onwards, both players completely tore apart Spanish football, breaking endless records and cementing themselves even more in the footballing history books. From 2009-2014, Cristiano Ronaldo found the back of the net 252 times in 246 appearances, and Lionel Messi 264 times in 274 appearances. Their scoring rates were near identical, with Ronaldo averaging 1.02 goals per game, compared to Messi’s 0.96. But the weekly battle to see who would score more than the other didn’t stop there. From 2014 to when Ronaldo announced he was to leave Madrid for a new challenge in 2018, both scored the exact same number of goals (198), but Ronaldo doing so in 20 less appearances. Both players over the years tweaked their individual game here and there, with Ronaldo turning himself strictly into a goal machine, rather than the quick and technical winger we saw at Manchester United who would naturally create more team chances. Messi still kept by his fundamentals as a selfless magician with the ball at his feet, racking up endless assists, and with players ahead of him like Suarez and Neymar, it seems unsurprising that he is leading the all-time assists record by quite some distance; 153 more than Ronaldo. 

Throughout this decade or so of nonstop battle, the public opinion of who was the better player was split 50/50, arguments between Madrid and Barcelona fans about the two men went on for hours at a time, awkward conversations at dinners could be immediately solved by the small question of “Who is better: Ronaldo or Messi?”, and parents were teaching their children to support one or the other from the off, there was no such thing as saying: “I like both equally”. 

When Cristiano added a new chapter to his career and headed off to Juventus to plant his name in Italian history, many thought that was the cue to end the debate, and let it float impossibly unsolved in footballing history. But neither player felt it was necessary to take the foot off the accelerator, as Messi took home another Ballon d’Or in 2019, edging just ahead of Ronaldo who still sat on 5. By the time COVID-19 had introduced itself to the world, Ronaldo was now an out-and-out goal scoring number 9 (but still wearing his treasured number 7), scoring over 100 Juventus goals in just 3 seasons in the Serie A. In 2021, another Ballon d’Or found itself in Messi’s hands after he captained Argentina to a Copa America victory in 2021, but the main news of the year was that Messi was forced to say goodbye to his beloved Barcelona (due to financial reasons) and so he decided to set sail for the French superpower PSG. It wasn’t the smoothest of rides to begin with for the Argentine, as the front three of him, Mbappe, and Neymar wasn’t gelling as quickly as fans had hoped. But once they found the sweet spot, nothing could stop them. 

Ronaldo decided to call time in Italy, and where better to end a glistening career than the place where it all kicked off? So, off he went back to Manchester to give the Premier League one more go. And he was an instant treasure. Scoring twice vs Newcastle on his (second) Manchester United debut, it seemed that he was still the man to lead them to success after several years of no silverware. 24 goals in his first season, it was the dream comeback. But, as we all know, things got rocky after the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjær and finishing 6th in the league, meaning no Champions League football for Ronaldo for the first time in almost 20 years. Ronaldo’s infamous interview with Piers Morgan in 2022 gave United all the reason they needed to rip up his contract there and then. 

All eyes turned to the 2022 Qatar World Cup, with Ronaldo practically a free agent and Messi not being overly thrilled with his time at PSG. Neither had yet won the most prestigious trophy in world football, so it felt that this was the last chance for one of them to finally beat the other, and hold the bragging rights, and being able to say: “I’ve completed football and you haven’t.” It ended very unpleasant for Ronaldo and Portugal, and all football fans - including Messi supporters - couldn’t help feeling sorry for Ronaldo after seeing him walking down the tunnel in tears after a quarter-final shock knockout to a young Moroccan side. The dream well and truly over, most people thought. Just to add more salt into the Portuguese wounds, Messi decided to turn himself back into a 25-year old and completely obliterate any nation that came his way. 7 appearances, 7 goals, 3 assists, as well as 5 Man of the Match awards. On the 18th of December 2022, the entire world tuned into arguably the greatest game of football ever seen. Mbappe vs Messi, France vs Argentina. Messi wasn’t going to let his dream slip away from him, but Mbappe made sure to put up a good fight, scoring a mind-blowing hat-trick to take the game to the penalty spot. Montiel’s penalty sent Hugo Lloris the wrong way, and Messi crowned himself and Argentina as champions of the world. One of the finest individual World Cup campaigns ever seen, and despite Ronaldo still going strong in Saudi Arabia - scoring over 100 goals in his first two seasons - it was becoming harder and harder for Ronaldo fans to find arguments to dethrone Messi. 

Both players have now slightly put their feet up and waved the white flag to Europe, but still holding on to the passion of playing football despite their age. Both Messi and Ronaldo have taken US “soccer” and Saudi Arabian football into a completely new light, as it now seems the common consensus to players coming to the end of their career to head to either one of the two leagues to settle down and call time on their careers, whilst still playing good football, as well as making pots of money. 

Ronaldo now sits on 973 goals, with Messi just behind on 914, and surprisingly both are still going strong enough to be selected for their national teams heading into the 2026 World Cup. Can Ronaldo add one more momentous twist in the tale, or will Messi decide enough is enough and make it back-to-back World Cup wins? Who knows.

Regardless of the debate that has divided millions over time, there is no denying that these two athletes are the two greatest footballers ever seen. Between them, they have won 81 major trophies, including 9 Champions Leagues and 20 League titles, so it is safe to say we will never see a rivalry like this ever again. Both have been an absolute joy to watch over the years, and the respect they hold for each other shows that - in their eyes - it’s been a companionship rather than a rivalry. Who knows what’ll happen in the future, with talents like Lamine Yamal and Desire Doué leading the world stage, but it’s hard to imagine that anyone will come close to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.