Lionel Messi & Cristiano Ronaldo are the two greatest footballers who have moulded and fashioned football in the past two decades, leaving an indelible mark on sports across continents. With Messi announcing an emotional retirement from National Duties last evening, let us have a look at how the two legends compare when it comes to International Football.
Career Overview & Statistics
| Metrics | Lionel Messi | Cristiano Ronaldo |
| Caps/Appearances | 207 | 233 |
| International Goals | 125 | 146 |
| Assists | 65 | 37 |
| Total Goal Contributions | 190 | 183 |
| Goals/Game | 0.6 | 0.63 |
| Minutes/Goal Contribution | 90 | 101 |
| Hat-tricks | 11 | 10 |
| Major Trophies | 4 ( 1 World Cup, 2 Copas America, 1 Finalissima ) | 2 ( 1 UEFA Euro,1 UEFA Nations League ) |
Key Comparisons
The stats are so balanced between the two maestros that it is virtually impossible to choose one over the other. However, there are some minor imbalances which make the comparison even more interesting.
While Ronaldo leads in raw longevity and total goal output, Messi holds the edge in major international trophies, playmaking contributions, and World Cup knockout-stage performance.
International Honours
When it comes to International silverware, Messi, who came close to winning World Cups on a couple of occasions, suffered huge heartbreaks, and after the 2018 World Cup, Messi had announced that he would never play for Argentina again. Their loss to France in the quarter-finals was jarring, to say the least. But Messi survived and went on to lead Argentina to an emphatic World Cup triumph in Qatar, four years later.
Ronaldo, too, had several heartbreaks leading his team and the World Cups have never been kind to the Portuguese star, with failures every four years. But Ronaldo did win the Euros for Portugal in 2016 and then won the UEFA Nations League in 2019.
Barring this one difference in trophies, there is nothing to choose between Messi and Ronaldo. Their goal-scoring acumen has been on par with each other, and their ability to create chances and assists has been phenomenal. No wonder the total goal contributions for the National Teams have been 190 for Lionel Messi and 183 for Ronaldo.