Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi? When Harry Kane made his choice in the heated ‘GOAT’ debate
Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane once weighed in on the age-old Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate. Kane has never shared the pitch with Ronaldo or Messi. However, he has faced Ronaldo four times and Messi twice.
Kane's Tottenham Hotspur clashed with Lionel Messi's Barcelona twice during the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League group stage. Barcelona won one of the games 4-2, with Kane scoring once and Messi bagging a brace. The second meeting was a 1-1 draw.
Meanwhile, Kane faced Cristiano Ronaldo twice in the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League group stage, when the Portuguese was at Real Madrid. One fixture ended 1-1, while Spurs won the other 3-1, with Ronaldo scoring in each game.
Kane and Ronaldo next faced each other during Manchester United's 3-0 and 3-2 wins over Tottenham Hotspur in the 2021-22 Premier League. The Portuguse talisman notably scored a hat-trik in the 3-2 win, with Kane finding the net once. Ronaldo also scored once in the 3-0 win.
While interviewing with Prime Video Sport in 2022, Kane was asked to choose between prime Ronaldo and prime Messi. The English star didn't hesitate to pick the legendary Messi.
“I’ll go with prime Messi,” Kane said. (via One Football)
It's difficult to pinpoint a particular period as the prime for Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi due to their unreal dominance.
The duo have been at their best for over two decades, winning 13 Ballons d'Or awards between them (Messi eight and Ronaldo five). The two legends continue to perform at their best for their respective clubs, Al-Nassr and Inter Miami.
Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo: Most goals scored in a calender year
Lionel Messi is well-known for scoring 91 goals in the 2012 calendar year at the age of 25, with 79 of them coming for Barcelona in 60 appearances across competitions. The other 12 came for Argentina in nine games.
With his 91-goal tally, Messi broke the late Gerd Muller's record (85 in 1972) for most goals scored in a calender year. Ronaldo appears thrice in the top-10 list, while it's Messi's only appearance.
Manwhile, the most times Cristiano Ronaldo found the net in a calender year came in 2013 when he scored 69 times in 59 games for club and country, with 59 of them coming for Real Madrid in 50 appearances. The other 10 came with Portugal in nine games. Robert Lewandowski also matched that tally in 2021.
Ronaldo also scored 63 times in 2012, the ninth position in the top 10 list and 61 times in 2014, which is 10th best. Brazilian legend Pele graces the list twice, for his 75 goals (1958) and 72 goals (1965), in third and fourth place respectively.