Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are football titans. This mighty duo possesses a trophy haul that rivals any other in the history of the game. Their achievements place them among the pantheon of football deities.
There is a hot debate nowadays about who is the better player. Infographic below by betting-sites.me.uk provides an extensive lists of their individual, club, and national team achievements and stats. Perhaps such information might help us better understand the rivalry and decide who is more successful.
Let’s take a quick glance at Ronaldo’s and Messi’s general information, after which you can check the infographic and decide for yourself.
Ronaldo
Ronaldo started his career at Sporting Lisbon as a skinny, wiry winger. He moved then to Manchester United at a tender age, going on to score 118 goals for the club and establishing himself as one of the greatest players to ever kick the ball on British shores. The next stop was Real Madrid where he won numerous international and domestic trophies. He is currently playing for Juventus.
Ronaldo was also successful with his national team, as Portugal won the UEFA Euro Championship trophy back in 2016. In total, he has 15 honors, nine with Manchester United and six with Real Madrid.
Messi
Lionel Messi began his journey in 2006. He became Barca’s youngest player, which is only one of the countless personal records he set while playing in Spain. So far, he scored around 700 goals for his club and the national team and won the prestigious Ballon d’Or award a record-tying five times. He spent the entire professional senior career with Barcelona where he still plays.
Unlike Ronaldo, Messi has not won any major trophies with Argentina, although he came close once to winning the World Cup. In 2014, his national team reached the final but was defeated by Germany 1-0.
As you can see, declaring Messi or Ronaldo for the best player in football’s recent history is not an easy task. What’s more, with both players showing no signs of slowing down, the argument is set to rage on for the years to come.
