“He’s more consistent” – When football icon Pele decided to name ‘best player’ between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
The Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate has raged on in football for the better part of the last decade.
The two footballing icons have established themselves not just as generational players but perhaps two of football's greatest ever athletes. Fans, pundits and others have weighed in on the debate to decide who is better between the two.
Late Brazilian legend Pele also gave his take on the matter back in 2020.
“Today the best player in the world is Cristiano Ronaldo,” the former striker said. “I think he's the best, because he's more consistent, but you can't forget about [Lionel] Messi, of course, but he's not a striker.”
Both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have taken the game to the next level with their consistency. They have stayed at the top of their game for longer than a decade, winning a total of 12 Ballons d'Or together.
Messi has won 10 La Liga titles, four UEFA Champions League trophies, the Copa America and the FIFA World Cup, among other major honors. He also won two Ligue 1 titles in two seasons in France after several successful years with Barcelona.
Messi has scored a total of 704 goals and laid down 338 assists in 853 games in his senior club career. He has also registered 102 goals and 56 assists in 174 international games for Argentina.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, has three Premier League titles, two La Liga trophies, two Serie A titles and five Champions League trophies, among other team honors. He has also won the UEFA Euro and the UEFA Nations League with Portugal.
Overall, Ronaldo has scored a total of 715 goals and laid out 225 assists in 968 club games. He has netted 122 times for Portugal, making him the highest international goalscorer in men's football, while also registering 43 assists.
What next for Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo?
Lionel Messi spent his last two seasons at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) after failing to extend his contract at Barcelona back in 2021. He registered 32 goals and 35 assists in 75 games for the club, winning two league titles.
He has now decided to part ways with the French club, which has opened up his future. Reports have indicated that Lionel Messi could return to Barcelona or even join Cristiano Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League by signing for Al-Hilal.
Speaking of Ronaldo, the former Real Madrid man returned to Manchester United in the summer of 2021. He had a personally successful first season, registering 24 goals in 37 games for the Red Devils, who finished sixth in the Premier League and failed to win a trophy.
However, post the arrival of Erik ten Hag last summer, the Portuguese legend lost his starting spot in the team and seemingly fell out with the manager. It ended with him leaving the club by mutual consent in November last year.
He opted to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr in January, where he has registered 14 goals and two assists in 19 games. While they failed to win any trophies this season, Cristiano Ronaldo has indicated that he is keen to continue with the team.