Messi beats Ronaldo to GOAT status after data analysis, says Liverpool FC's research director. The rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo has riveted football pundits and primary schoolchildren alike, fuelling endless debates over who is the greatest player of modern times – or ever.
Ronaldo and Messi have been the two names for the title of G.O.A.T. of Football. Both are known for their successful and tremendous performances in football.
Arguably, the certified indicator of greatness is the coveted Ballon d'Or, an award Messi has attained more than any other player. Argentina's incumbent skipper is a seven-time recipient of this prestigious prize—Ronaldo has won five, and the next nearest competitor three.
At the club level, Messi holds the record for most goals in La Liga with 474. In total, including clubs and country, Messi has scored 793 goals in 1,003 appearances. He also has 350 assists to his name. On the other hand, Ronaldo has scored 819 goals in 1,145 appearances for both club and country.
Pele | Brazil
Brazilian legend Pele held the title of being the greatest football player of all time and in the opinion of several people, especially those fans from the older generation, he is still the king.
Ronaldo has received praise for his physical attributes, goalscoring skills, leadership and performance under pressure, while Messi is lauded for his combination of dribbling, playmaking, passing and goalscoring.
Ronaldo has seven league titles, but unlike Messi, he can claim to have won the league in three different countries (England, Spain and Italy) - something that increases his claim to the GOAT crown in the eyes of some.
"If I had to decide, for my team, I'd start Messi," Pelé said. Along with Messi, Pelé named the players he believed were in the ranks of greats of all time including Ronaldo, Alfredo Di Stéfano, Diego Maradona, Ronaldinho, Johan Cruyff, Franz Beckenbauer, Zinedine Zidane, Zico, and more.
Similarly, Messi also holds the record for the most number of Golden Boots awarded. The prestigious award, given to the highest scorer among the top European divisions, has been won by him on six occasions — the most won by any player.
Records and achievements of the GOAT of football Lionel Messi. Lionel Messi has seen and won everything there is in club football and has had a legendary career with FC Barcelona in Spain.
The GOAT basically means 'The Greatest of All Time,' and it has been used for several decades by the United States press. Legendary boxer Mohamed Ali, basketball player Michael Jordan, and golfer Tiger Woods, were all also referred to as the GOATs back in the day.
GOAT is an acronym, the letters standing for Greatest Of All Time. It's typically used to refer to generational sports stars, with Lionel Messi being a prime example.
Lionel Messi was more popular than Cristiano Ronaldo in several countries in 2022, with the Argentinian icon having a net popularity of 76 percent in Brazil. Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo had a higher favorability rating in the United States and Australia.
Lionel Messi beats Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema to Best FIFA Men's Player award. Lionel Messi was named Best FIFA Men's Player at a ceremony in Paris on Monday, beating Paris Saint-Germain teammate Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid's Karim Benzema.
Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Ballon d'Or a whopping five times. At the age of 38, it's going to take a mammoth effort for him to be recognized as the world's best player once again. But it might also just be too early to write him off.
"Messi isn't much better than Ronaldo. Let's be clear, he isn't much better. But if I had to pick, I'd pick Leo," Maradona said.
Lionel Messi is often considered the GOAT of football, following his exploits with Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Argentina.
Many fans and pundits have claimed that Mbappe is already a "GOAT" (Greatest Of All Time). In contrast, others argued that the team couldn't function without the presence of Argentine superstar Lionel Messi.
The Argentine attacker is frequently recognised as the best player in football history. Like his rival Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo is regarded by many as the best football player to ever play the game.
Neymar is widely considered one of the best footballers of his generation, but always with the caveat that he, like everyone else, is outside the realm of Ronaldo and Messi, who are generally regarded as two of the greatest of all time. But former AC Milan right-back Cafu insisted that Neymar is the best of the three.
Argentine superstar Lionel Messi is regarded as the king of dribbling skills in football.
Who is the best football player in the world? Leo Messi is arguably the best football player in the world. He won the 2022 Football World Cup and 2021 Copa America for Argentina. He has won the Ballon d'Or for a record seven times.
Lionel Messi is the king of football in 2022 after his stupendous previous season where he ended with 41 goals and 17 assists and then went on to leave Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain for the 2021-22 season.