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Between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who is the GOAT? We take a look at a few things that suggest the former has had a better career.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are undoubtedly two of the greatest players to have ever played the beautiful game. Their supremacy and dominance over the sport has been so comprehensive that it is difficult to choose between the two legendary footballers.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have enjoyed a duopoly of sorts over the Ballon d'Or - football's greatest individual prize - for a little more than the last ten years.
While Cristiano Ronaldo has played for four different sides, namely Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus in his senior career, Lionel Messi has stuck to being a one-club man and has played at Barcelona all throughout his career.
While the GOAT debate looks like it will never be settled, we take a look at five reasons why we believe Lionel Messi has had a better career than Cristiano Ronaldo.
#5 Lionel Messi has won more major trophies than Cristiano Ronaldo
One scale on which great footballers can be compared is the number of major trophies they have won over the course of their careers. Individual brilliance is great but as long as it doesn't translate into trophies, it doesn't matter much as football is primarily a team sport.
In that respect, Lionel Messi has done better than Cristiano Ronaldo. He has won 24 major trophies in his career, four more than Cristiano Ronaldo. Lionel Messi has 10 league titles as opposed to Cristiano Ronaldo's 7.
Ronaldo has won more Champions League titles than Lionel Messi but when it comes to national cup competitions - the likes of FA Cup, Copa Del Rey etc. - Lionel Messi has six while Ronaldo has just three.
#4 Lionel Messi has a better goalscoring rate
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored more goals for club and country in his career than Lionel Messi. While Cristiano Ronaldo has 772 goals to his name from 1058 matches, Lionel Messi has 734 goals from just 911.
Ronaldo leads the goalscoring chart by a margin but he has played nearly 150 more matches than Lionel Messi. Messi scores a goal every 100 minutes whereas Cristiano Ronaldo scores one every 112 minutes.
Messi has also clocked more assists than Cristiano Ronaldo in his career. While the Argentine has 309 assists to his name, Cristiano Ronaldo only has 225.
#3 Lionel Messi has the better head-to-head record
We are blessed to have seen this great rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo unfold before our eyes. It almost looks like it was scripted from the heavens, the way in which they squared off for the biggest clubs in the world who also happened to be bitter rivals.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have clashed a whopping 36 times. Lionel Messi leads the head-to-head record with 16 wins. Cristiano Ronaldo has won 11 times. Nine matches have ended as draws. Lionel Messi has scored 22 goals and assisted 11 in the matches he has played against Cristiano Ronaldo.
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 19 and has provided just one assist. This is a clear indication that Lionel Messi has performed better when they have locked horns.
#2 Lionel Messi has won the Golden Ball for the Best Player at a World Cup
One of the main criticisms filed against Lionel Messi is that he has not been successful with the Argentinian national team. However, it is not for a lack of trying. Messi has consistently been let down by some of his teammates.
Lionel Messi led Argentina from the front as they made it to the finals of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He was their main man and even single-handedly schlepped them forward at times.
Messi scored four goals and provided one assist from seven appearances in the 2014 edition of the tournament but saw his World Cup dream cut short by a Mario Gotze goal in the 113th minute of the game. However, Messi won the Golden Boot for being the best player at the World Cup.
The farthest Cristiano Ronaldo has reached in a World Cup is the semi-final in 2006 when he was still one of the youngsters on the Portuguese side.
#1 More Ballon d'Ors than Cristiano Ronaldo
The Ballon d'Or is the most prestigious and coveted individual prize in football. As mentioned earlier, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have enjoyed a duopoly of sorts over the Ballon d'Or for over a decade. They have been going neck to neck for years but now it finally looks like Lionel Messi will win the Ballon d'Or race.
Lionel Messi has won six Ballon d'Ors while Cristiano Ronaldo has five. Both Messi and Ronaldo are in the fight for the prestigious award this year but Lionel Messi has clocked better numbers so far and is in with a chance of winning the domestic double.
Also, at 36, Ronaldo's powers are starting to wane while Lionel Messi still seems to have a few years of playing at the highest level left in him.
