GOAT of football: Lionel Messi looks set to settle the debate

Argentinian football star Lionel Messi, whose breathtaking performances at the World Cup 2022 helped him clinch the trophy, the only missing piece of silverware from his trophy cabinet, looks set to settle the ‘GOAT of football‘ discourse, which is an acronym for greatest of all time in the sport.

The former Barcelona star, who also became the first player to find the back of the net in the group stages, the round of 16, quarter-final, semi-final and final of a World Cup edition at Qatar 2022, has been the talk of the town ever since he made his senior debut for FCB in 2004.

In contrast, Cristiano Ronaldo, who is the only player alongside Messi that can be considered for the honour of the GOAT in the modern era, made his professional debut in 2002. 

Since then, the two players have taken the footballing world by storm, with a stiff race for the distinction of the greatest of all time. There might be a final Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi showdown when Al Nassr host PSG for a friendly match in January 2023.

With fans, pundits and other important stakeholders of the football fraternity having a plethora of opinions on who should be regarded as the GOAT of football, here are the achievements of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, which include team and individual honours.

Who is the GOAT of football?

Lionel Messi is often considered the GOAT of football, following his exploits with Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Argentina.

Messi, who was a one-club man for the majority of his career before sealing a move to PSG in 2021, made Camp Nou an unbreachable fortress during his trophy-laden career at FC Barcelona, becoming La Liga’s all-time top goalscorer with a total of 474 goals in 17 seasons.

After moving to PSG, he won the league title in his first season and followed it with the Trophee des Champions before the commencement of the 2022 campaign, which is contested between the league winners of the previous season and the French Cup winners.

On the other hand, Cristiano Ronaldo played for multiple clubs in his career. In addition to his boyhood club Sporting Lisbon, he has had immeasurable success with his other employers Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus.

The 2022 World Cup was the stage where fans might have witnessed the two legends play at the global competition for the last time in their careers. Inarguably, it was set as the benchmark for them to become the ‘GOAT of football’. 

With the only trophy not won by either of them, Argentina talisman Lionel Messi led his country to glory with a thrilling win over France in the final, getting ahead of his counterpart Cristiano Ronaldo in the race to become the Greatest of all Time footballer.

Furthermore, Messi is expected to be the next recipient of the unprecedented Super Ballon d’Or award, which is given to the best player in the past 30 years. To date, only one player has won the laurel when former Real Madrid forward Alfredo di Stefano clinched it in 1989.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo trophies

Club honours

Individual honours

Among the pool of individual awards won by the two superstars, Messi has bagged seven Ballon d’Or awards as compared to Ronaldo’s five.

Photo credit: Alamy