How did Cristiano Ronaldo perform in Olympics football? Portugal icon’s display compared to Lionel Messi
Arch-rivals Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have both represented their national teams at the highest stages multiple times and have won big for them. However, when it comes to the prestigious Olympic Games, Leo Messi has an edge over Ronaldo, having won gold with Argentina in the 2008 Beijing edition.
Lionel Messi has only participated in the Olympic Games once in his career, in the 2008 edition, especially with the age restrictions in the men's football category. The Olympics only allows under-23 players in the tournament, with only three over-age players allowed. In his only participation, Messi won the gold medal with Argentina and recorded two goals and three assists in the tournament.
The Albiceleste were unable to qualify for the 2012 Olympics. In 2016, coach Gerardo Martino opted to rest Leo for the games as he wanted him to focus more on the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. He was not part of the squad in the 2020 edition as well as it took place right after his Copa America triumph.
In comparison, Cristiano Ronaldo has also only participated once in the Olympic Games, in the 2004 edition in Athens when he was 19. Jose Ramos's team did not bear favorable results as they finished at the bottom of their group. However, Cristiano scored in their only victory against Morocco in the group stage, where Portugal edged with a 2-1 scoreline.
Portugal has since then only featured once in the Olympic Games, in Rio in 2016, but Cristiano was not a part of the squad. He won the Champions League with Real Madrid and the Euros with Portugal in that season outside of the Games. The Selecao bowed out in the quarter-finals of the Olympics in that edition.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's international careers compared in numbers
Both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo boast impressive stats at the international level for Argentina and Portugal respectively. While Leo has an edge over Ronaldo in the Olympic Games, Ronaldo has more international goals compared to Messi overall for his country.
In a total of 212 appearances, Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 130 goals and provided 36 assists for Portugal. In comparison, Lionel Messi has 109 goals and 55 assists for Argentina in 187 games. However, Messi has 25 appearances less than Cristiano at the international level.
Speaking of international accolades, Lionel Messi is at a better pedestal than Cristiano Ronaldo as of 2024. Messi has won the international treble with Argentina with the 2021 Copa America, the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the 2024 Copa America. The Albiceleste's triumph has been widely compared to Spain's dominant run in Europe between 2008 and 2012 when they won two Euros and one World Cup. Messi also won the 2022 Finallisima after a 3-0 win against Italy.
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo has won two international trophies with Portugal. He won the Euro 2016 and the very first edition of the UEFA Nations League in 2019. Although he led his country to the 2004 Euro final, they lost 1-0 to Greece in the final stage.