Since Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure from Real Madrid in 2018, his iconic rivalry with Lionel Messi has diminished considerably. Direct confrontations between these two soccer stars have become increasingly rare, to the point that, currently, there are no longer duels between them. The last time both players saw each other was in January 2023during a match between Paris Saint-Germain and Al-Nassr. However, despite the scarcity of these matches, there is still one field in which they continue to compete: the fight to be the top scorer in the history of football.
According to the criteria of
In Inter Miami’s recent 3-2 victory against Columbus Crew, Messi was the outstanding figure, contributing with two goals that bring him closer to the record still held by Ronaldo. The man from Rosario has proven to be in top form and continues to add to his impressive collection of titles. Currently, Messi has accumulated 847 goals, which leaves him 57 goals away from catching Ronaldo, who leads the table with 904 goals.
However, there are two key factors that favor Messi in this competition. Firstly, Ronaldo has played 164 more games than the Argentine to reach his figure (1,241 compared to 1,077). Secondly, the Portuguese is two years older than Messi, which means that the Argentine, at 37 years old, still has more time ahead of him to continue expanding his scoring tally.
Furthermore, Messi is living an unbeatable present. Despite having suffered an injury in the 2024 Copa América final that kept him off the field for a month and a half, he has returned strongly. So far in 2024, he has scored 25 goals in 28 games played, both in Major League Soccer and in the Champions Cup and with the Argentine national team.
Regarding the table of top scorers in the history of the Champions League, Ronaldo leads Messi. With 140 goals, the Portuguese leads the ranking, while Messi follows him with 129 goals. This record has remained almost intact since both left European football almost two years ago.
On the other hand, Ronaldo has made it clear that his approach has changed. In a recent statement, the Portuguese expressed that he is no longer concerned about being considered the best. “For a player it is important to score goals, but for me the most important thing now is for the team to win,” he said. He also added that he is no longer looking to break records, but rather enjoy the game and help his team, Al-Nassr, achieve victories.
Finally, if you are wondering how the classification of the top historical scorers is, here are the first positions:
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal): 904 goals
- Lionel Messi (Argentina): 847 goals
- Josef Bican (Austria): 805 goals
- Romario (Brazil): 772 goals
- Pelé (Brazil): 757 goals
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*This content was rewritten with the assistance of artificial intelligence based on information from La Nación (GDA) and was reviewed by a journalist and an editor.
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