For Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a final shot at World Cup glory (2024)

For Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a final shot at World Cup glory (1)

They’ve broken all the records but can they win a World Cup?

By Issy Ronald, CNN

Updated December 13, 2022

Top illustration: Nazario Graziano / agencyrush.com, Getty Images

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have defined each other’s careers, legacies and the world of football for more than a decade.

They have managed to match each other, scaling previously unmapped heights, yet they embody different philosophies.

There is Messi — shorter, more introverted, a natural footballing genius who shares his creativity with the team, assisting almost as much as he scores. And then there is Ronaldo — taller, a physical specimen who bulldozes his way through defenses, grafting and training until he was simply better than anyone else on the field.

But for all their accolades, neither has won the World Cup. The Qatar 2022 competition could be their last chance to determine whether one of them can finally win the biggest trophy of all.

See how the star players match up, going back to their professional debuts.

For Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a final shot at World Cup glory (2)

Cristiano Ronaldo

For Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a final shot at World Cup glory (3)

Lionel Messi

Aug. 2002

Ronaldo makes professional debut at 17 years old, playing for Portuguese side Sporting Clube de Portugal.

For Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a final shot at World Cup glory (4)

Aug. 2003

Wins first Portugal cap at 18, coming on as a substitute against Kazakhstan.

For Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a final shot at World Cup glory (5)

Oct. 2004

At 17 years old, Messi makes first of 778 appearances for Barcelona. At the time, he is the youngest to represent the club in an official game.

For Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a final shot at World Cup glory (6)

Aug. 2005

Makes Argentina debut, at 18 years old, as a substitute in a friendly match against Hungary, but is sent off just two minutes later.

For Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a final shot at World Cup glory (7)

June 2006

Nets first of seven World Cup goals, scored across four tournaments, to become — at 21 years old — the youngest Portuguese player to score in a World Cup.

For Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a final shot at World Cup glory (8)

Becomes youngest player to represent Argentina at a World Cup and scores within 13 minutes, becoming sixth-youngest goalscorer in the tournament’s history.

For Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a final shot at World Cup glory (9)

Apr. 2007

May 2009

Inspires Barcelona to beat Ronaldo’s Manchester United in Champions League final, his second of four titles. He finishes the tournament as its top scorer.

For Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a final shot at World Cup glory (11)

July 2009

Joins Real Madrid from Manchester United for a then-world record $130 million fee.

For Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a final shot at World Cup glory (12)

Nov. 2009

After inspiring Barça to a historic three trophies in one season, the 22-year-old becomes first Argentine to win Ballon d’Or.

For Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a final shot at World Cup glory (13)

Dec. 2009

Wins the inaugural Puskás Award for his electrifying 40-yard goal — the ball traveled an average speed of 64 miles per hour — for Manchester United against Porto.

For Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a final shot at World Cup glory (14)

July 2010

Argentina knocked out of the 2010 World Cup by Germany in the quarterfinals. Messi is named in the Team of the Tournament, but he suffers accusations of caring more about club than country.

For Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a final shot at World Cup glory (15)

Apr. 2011

Time magazine names Messi as one of the most influential people in the world for the first of two consecutive years.

For Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a final shot at World Cup glory (16)

Mar. 2012

At 24, he breaks Barcelona’s scoring record and scores a record 91 goals in the same calendar year.

For Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a final shot at World Cup glory (17)

Apr. 2014

Time magazine names Ronaldo among the 100 most influential people of the year.

For Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a final shot at World Cup glory (18)

July 2014

Argentina loses to Germany in the World Cup final. Messi wins a tournament record of four man-of-the match awards in a single World Cup and accepts the Golden Ball award for player of the tournament with seven goals.

For Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a final shot at World Cup glory (19)

Nov. 2014

Messi becomes La Liga’s all-time top scorer after a hat-trick against Sevilla, breaking Telmo Zarra’s record of 251 goals.

For Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a final shot at World Cup glory (20)

June 2015

The CR7 galaxy is named after the soccer star, at the end of a season where he enjoyed the most prolific campaign of his club career, scoring 61 times in 54 games.

For Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a final shot at World Cup glory (21)

Oct. 2015

Becomes Real’s all-time leading scorer with 324 goals. He ends his Madrid career with 450 goals in just 438 games.

For Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a final shot at World Cup glory (22)

June 2016

A goal in the Copa América Centenario quarterfinals establishes him as Argentina’s all-time leading scorer. After La Albiceleste’s loss in the final, he announces his international retirement, a decision he reverses shortly afterwards following pleas from Argentina’s president.

For Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a final shot at World Cup glory (23)

July 2016

Wins first major international trophy at the European Championship in France, but is carried off injured in tears after just 25 minutes of the final.

For Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a final shot at World Cup glory (24)

Initially sentenced to 21 months in prison for tax fraud, but escapes with $2.3 million fine instead. Messi — along with his father Jorge Messi — was found guilty of defrauding Spain of $4.6 million between 2007 and 2009.

For Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a final shot at World Cup glory (25)

Apr. 2017

Scores a hat-trick against Bayern Munich to become the first player to score 100 Champions League goals.

For Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a final shot at World Cup glory (26)

Mar. 2018

Scores his 100th Champions League goal, reaching the milestone in fewer games than Ronaldo. Only he and Ronaldo have scored at least 100 goals in the competition to date.

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May 2018

First player to win the Champions League five times. He won his first with Manchester United in 2008 before winning the competition with Real Madrid in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

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June 2018

At Russia 2018, becomes first man to score in eight consecutive major international tournaments.

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July 2018

At the age of 33, Ronaldo signs for Italian team Juventus in a reported $117 million transfer deal.

For Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a final shot at World Cup glory (30)

Oct. 2018

Accused of rape by Kathryn Mayorga, who claims she was paid $375,000 to sign an NDA; case later dismissed. He denies the allegations.

For Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a final shot at World Cup glory (31)

July 2019

Messi sent off in the 37th minute of the third-place Copa América playoff. He refuses to accept his third-place medal and receives a three-month ban from international football as well as a $50,000 fine.

For Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a final shot at World Cup glory (32)

July 2021

Photo of Messi holding the Copa América — his first international trophy — becomes the most liked sports photo in Instagram history at the time.

Aug. 2021

Returns to Manchester United and finishes first season as the club's top goal scorer. Relationship with team implodes after explosive interview in November 2022.

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Signs on a two-year deal for French team Paris Saint-Germain, bringing his long-term association with Barça to an end with the Catalan club suffering financially.

For Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a final shot at World Cup glory (34)

Sep. 2021

Breaks international scoring record with two goals against Ireland, taking his tally to 117 goals in 191 internationals and cementing his status as an all-time great.

For Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a final shot at World Cup glory (35)

Feb. 2022

First person to reach 400 million Instagram followers.

For Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a final shot at World Cup glory (36)

Sep. 2022

Wins record 164th Argentina cap and scores 90th international goal, moving him to third on the all-time men’s international scoring chart.

For Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a final shot at World Cup glory (37)

Nov/Dec. 2022

In Qatar, becomes the first man to score in five World Cups and equals Kuwait’s Bader Al-Mutawa’s tally of 196 international appearances, the most in men’s international football history. But leaves the pitch in tears after Portugal’s elimination in the quarterfinals.

For Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a final shot at World Cup glory (38)

Surpasses Diego Maradona’s record for World Cup appearances for Argentina, and becomes the first player to record assists at five separate World Cups. In Qatar, he also scores in the knockout stage of a World Cup for the first time, which was the 1,000th game of his career.

For Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a final shot at World Cup glory (39)
For Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a final shot at World Cup glory (2024)

FAQs

Why did Ronaldo cry at the World Cup? ›

The first half of extra time ended just after the penalty miss and Ronaldo was seen crying in the huddle with his teammates as he continues to search for his first goal of the tournament. He has now failed to convert three of the nine penalties he has taken at major international tournaments.

What did Ronaldo say to Messi after World Cup? ›

I saw many Brazilians, and people from all over the world, cheering on Messi in this electrifying final,” Ronaldo wrote on Twitter. “A farewell worthy of the genius who, far beyond being a World Cup star, led an era. Congratulations, Messi!

What did Messi say after winning the World Cup? ›

There are very few players who can say that they have achieved everything and thanks to God I am one of them," Messi said. "If you put in the effort, sacrifice, work and humility, in the end, you achieve your goals," he added.

Who runs faster Messi or Ronaldo? ›

Messi has higher acceleration, Ronaldo has higher speed (when he is at full pace). For dribbling Messi accelerates extremely fast in first few meters, and there he makes a lot of advantage over defenders. His speed at full sprint is also high.

Who is physically stronger, Messi or Ronaldo? ›

Physically, Ronaldo is stronger than Messi. Ronaldo should be better as an individual player because of his figure, Ronaldo can fit into any type of team but on the other hand Messi might find it way more difficult because of his height and his strength.

Will Messi play the 2026 World Cup? ›

Lionel Messi is not ruling out playing in World Cup 2026 — and has revealed he has never watched the 2022 final of the tournament. Messi will be 38 when the next World Cup starts in 2026 — and will turn 39 during the tournament — which will be hosted across the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Will Ronaldo play the 2026 World Cup? ›

However, a report has claimed that Ronaldo isn't willing to quit international football just yet. In fact, he is determined to play in the 2026 FIFA World Cup and bring the trophy home. Ronaldo had an insipid Euro 2024 campaign that saw him contribute little to the team's goals.

Which player made Ronaldo cry? ›

Ruud Van Nistelrooy made Ronaldo cry at Man Utd over ill-timed argument after the death of his dad, Saha reveals. LOUIS SAHA revealed Ruud van Nistelrooy once reduced Cristiano Ronaldo to tears over an argument shortly after the death of the Portuguese star's father in 2005.

Did Ronaldo comment on Messi's Ballon d'Or? ›

Cristiano Ronaldo liked a post and laughed in the comment section on a video criticizing Lionel Messi's eighth Ballon d'Or win.

What did Messi say after losing? ›

"It's a very heavy blow, a defeat that hurts, but we must continue to have confidence in ourselves," Messi said after Argentina crashed to a stunning 2-1 loss in Group C. "This group is not going to give up.

What Ronaldo said after losing World Cup? ›

"For now, there's not much more to say. Thank you, Portugal. Thank you, Qatar. The dream was beautiful while it lasted... Now, it's time to be a good advisor and allow everyone to draw their own conclusions," he concluded.

What did Messi win? ›

Playing for Argentina's national team, he won two Copa América titles and the 2022 FIFA World Cup. A prolific goalscorer and creative playmaker, Messi holds the records for most goals (474), hat-tricks (36), and assists (192) in La Liga, most appearances (39) and assists (18) in the Copa América.

Why is Lionel Messi famous? ›

Lionel Messi (born June 24, 1987, Rosario, Argentina) is an Argentine-born football (soccer) player who received a record-setting eight Ballon d'Or awards as the world's top male player (2009–12, 2015, 2019, 2021, and 2023).

Who has more power, Messi or Ronaldo? ›

With Ronaldo on the ground, the game becomes faster, stronger, physical, and more dynamic than ever. Ronaldo's combination of physical and technical attributes might give him an edge over in this Ronaldo vs Messi battle.

How strong is Messi vs Ronaldo? ›

Strength: Cristiano Ronaldo is taller and heavier than Lionel Messi, yet he shies away from contact and prefers to go down. Messi, however, is surprisingly strong despite his smaller stature and can hold the ball with his back toward the goal, shield defenders off the ball, and resist opponents' tackles and slides.

Who is the better finisher, Messi or Ronaldo? ›

According to sportskeeda C. Ronaldo is the best finisher in front of Messi,but behind Harry Kane and Robert Lewendowski. In a 1 v 1, who would win in a football match between Messi and Ronaldo? Messi's dribbling ability is definitely no match for Ronaldo.

Who has better defense, Ronaldo or Messi? ›

Ronaldo might be good- but Messi is the best in this regard. Messi might not be as good as Wayne Rooney in defensive matters, but Messi has the ability to read both offensive and defensive gameplays and according to stats- Messi is more likely to intercept / win a ball from another player than Ronaldo.

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