Football fans will argue the toss about almost anything, and yet the conversation around which player deserves the title of greatest of all time is one they return to more often than any other debate in the sport. Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo both have a shout at securing unquestioned GOAT status, although how they’re perceived continues to change given that they’re now spending the twilight of their careers away from the European leagues that forged their reputations in the first place.
Messi’s North American Momentum
Since signing with Inter Miami and extending his contract through to 2028, Messi has been a game-changing arrival in MLS both on the field and from a business perspective. He’s scored goal after goal in league games and been awarded MVP status despite injury, as well as taking his team to its first MLS Cup victory. He’s also helped bring more eyes to the league from around the world, and been a magnet for other star players, proving that there’s a reason to take America’s top-flight league seriously.
All this matters more in North America as continent because sports betting is becoming a major, legitimate business there. Players across the US and Canada can use a soccer betting site to track odds and place wagers, creating new levels of engagement with a game that has not been a traditional frontrunner with locals.
Ronaldo’s Middle Eastern Odyssey
Ronaldo, like Messi, has found success in every domestic league and international context imaginable, and yet his move to the SPL has been one of the most significant and hotly debated of his career. In turn, it’s clear from the statistics that while Messi might have broadened his role on the pitch with each passing season, Ronaldo has become more focused on the aim of scoring goals.
With Messi’s tally of 936 goals still shy of Ronaldo’s 985, it looks like the latter might make it to the 1,000 mark first. But Messi has close to twice the number of assists to his name, at 427 versus 261. So there’s still a point of contention here. Ronaldo is an unrivalled goal machine, and he’s still proving that in the SPL despite being in his 40s. Messi is not far behind on pure goal-scoring terms, but is leagues ahead when assists are in the mix.
Two Sides of the Same Coin
With their careers taking them to two very different parts of the world, and exposing them to very different play styles and fan bases, Messi and Ronaldo are arguably more different from one another as players today than at any point in the past. And while these old dogs might not learn any new tricks, they’re at least proving they still have what it takes to compete at an elite level. And as financial powerhouses, they’re more than pulling their weight in their respective leagues.
Fans can pick one or the other as the real GOAT based on whatever metrics or instincts they prefer. But perhaps what we’re really learning from their runs in MLS and the SPL is that there’s room for two names under that banner.