GOAT Debate: Cristiano Ronaldo has won more trophies than Lionel Messi in the Portuguese's “worst season in 10 years”
What’s the story?
Cristiano Ronaldo has left Lionel Messi behind in terms of total number of trophies won this season.
Despite enduring his lowest goalscoring campaign in the last 10 years, Ronaldo has still managed to win three trophies this season for Juventus and Portugal combined, outnumbering Messi’s two accolades with Barcelona.
In case you didn’t know…
Ronaldo once again proved why Portugal can rely on him time and time again as he captained his national team to another European glory in the form of the UEFA Nations League. Ronaldo, who was making his comeback to the international scene after nearly a year of absence, netted three times in two matches, including a hat-trick against Switzerland in the semi-finals.
Ronaldo might have failed to inspire Juventus to their first Champions League glory since 1996, but he did manage to help the Old Lady to lift their eight successive Serie A title, scoring 21 goals in this process. However, Ronaldo’s contribution of 6 goals in the Champions League turned out to be too little to less for Juventus as they were knocked out from the Round of 16 at the hands of Ajax.
Meanwhile, Messi ended his campaign with Barcelona in a bittersweet manner. The mercurial Argentine helped Barcelona to another La Liga crown, but the Catalan giants' failure in both the Champions League and the Copa del Rey ruined Messi’s campaign, despite the 31-year-old being in sensational form throughout the whole season, scoring 51 goals in all competitions.
On the other hand, Ronaldo’s numbers, in terms of both scoring goals and providing assists, saw a massive dip last season. Infact, the 34-year-old Portuguese endured his worst season in the last decade as he finished the campaign with 31 goals and 11 assists to his name for both his club and country combined.
The heart of the matter
With Portugal lifting the UEFA Nations League after beating the Netherlands 1-0 in the final, Ronaldo has now won three trophies this season, including the Serie A and the Supercoppa Italiana for Juventus.
In contrast, Barcelona skipper Messi only managed to win two trophies this campaign, namely, La Liga and the Supercopa de Espana.
Ronaldo has also managed to win two individual accolades by winning the Serie A's Most Valuable Player award in his first ever season Italy, and becoming the top goalscorer of UEFA Nations League, thanks to his hat-trick against Switzerland.
On the individual achievements front, Messi clinched his sixth European Golden Shoe, his sixth Pichichi and was the top goalscorer in the Champions League, with 12 goals to his name.
What’s next?
Ronaldo will now enjoy a much-deserved vacation with his family after a hectic season, while Messi will be looking to help Argentina win the upcoming Copa America.