Barcelona, thanks again to Lionel Messi, cleared past of Real Sociedad, 1-0, and the win not only placed the Catalan giants on top of the La Liga table but also allowed the Barca skipper to one-up rival Cristiano Ronaldo. Messi is now a digit better from Ronaldo in Spain and all competitions but the debate on who is the greatest of all-time between the two will continue.
As far as top-flight European football is concerned, Messi is now the best goalscorer with a record of 627 points in all competitions and 438 points in La Liga. The numbers have been chalked up in a total of 718 appearances.
In comparison, Ronaldo boasts of 835 appearances to date with a total of 628 goals, 437 of the points accumulated while playing in domestic leagues for different clubs. Before transferring to Juventus in 2018, the Portuguese striker played for Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, and Real Madrid.
Considering that Messi is three years junior of Ronaldo, the Argentine is tipped to overtake Ronaldo in statistics unless a serious injury will abruptly cut the former's career, according to Mirror.
"Messi arguably has the edge, with Ronaldo three years older than the Barcelona legend and thus more likely to retire first," said the report.
Add to that, the Little Magician has already racked up six Ballon d'Or wins, and while he is not in the best of form lately, time is not in favor of Ronaldo. If somehow Messi can find the brilliance that saw him dominating the football world in the past years, it is not impossible for the Barcelona team captain to win one or a couple more of Ballon trophies before retiring.
For this to happen, it is crucial for Barca to build a crew that will complement how the club's aging team captain operates, Forbes said. In so doing, the Spanish giants will be doing a favor not only for Messi but also for the club.
The Argentine has already made known his desire that while he entertains the idea of retiring soon, his goal includes reaping more honors for personal and for country and club. Specifically, Messi still wishes for Camp Nou to celebrate a Champions League crown.
The want by Messi to win at least one more Champions League title is understandable. Ronaldo has 5 UCL titles, and the Argentine owns only four of the same honor. Also, the latter lags in terms of bringing glory to the country.
For Portugal, Ronaldo can take pride in victory achieved in the Euro 2016. Messi, on the other hand, is still hunting for the same glory as Argentina failed to win four international finals where Messi played and his country lost, which includes the defeat at the 2014 World Cup.
So the question of who is the greatest between Messi and Ronaldo is still an open debate. The Argentine has a few more years to prove that he likely is GOAT, but to be sure, it's something that the Portuguese will fight hard to attach to his name.
