The 2026 FIFA World Cup, once again, proved to be Lionel Messi’s arena. Cristiano Ronaldo and the vaunted Portuguese squad bowed out to an injury-time winner from Mikel Merino to succumb to a 1-0 loss. Messi, on the other hand, inspired a comeback from 2-0 down to win 3-2 despite missing a penalty earlier on.
As the outright two best footballers of their generation, and in this era of the sport, their rivalries can be extended beyond the pitch. Here, we examine some of these arenas in which these two legendary athletes can also be compared.
Billionaire Ballers
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In October of last year, it was announced that Cristiano Ronaldo had just become the first billionaire footballer. Given the popularity of the sport and the money involved, the announcement came as a bit of a shock, but was a clear sign of Ronaldo’s impeccable work off the pitch to maximize the draw of his talent.
A fair chunk of his $1.4 billion net worth will have come from the ungodly wages Al-Nassr are paying him. The Guardian reports his daily salary in Saudi Arabia clocks in at over $650,000, or $657 million over two seasons. Messi, who became a billionaire earlier this year, is the highest-paid MLS player on $25 million per year.
Foray into Entertainment
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There’s a lot of interest in the goings on of Ronaldo and Messi away from the pitch. Both command massive social media followings, with Ronaldo’s being a trailblazer, but in the mid-10s, they both put out documentaries.
Perhaps it’s notable that the Argentine’s film has earned and IMDB score that’s 0.8 higher than Ronaldo’s. That said, the Portuguese’s movie, which came out a year later, does have 13,300 more reviews than Messi’s on the platform. Whichever is best is subjective, but both are due another soon.
For now, there’s the new Rivals: Messi v Ronaldo show created by the BBC, but both could explore many more arenas of entertainment. An end-of-career movie would be one approach, while both are such well-known brands that they could also have games at the British casino online.
There are already football games here, like Goal Goal Goal! Blackjack, as well as officially branded games, like Breaking Bad Roulette. A Messi Roulette or Ronaldo Blackjack game would certainly boast a lot of eye-catching appeal and help to expand the creative space of online table games.
Business Empires
Ronaldo is quite famous for his wise investments, the CR7 brand, and his collection of businesses that help to pad his net worth. As The Times of India lists here, his Pestana CR7 Hotels chain spans five locations, including Madrid, Marrakech, and New York City. Then, there’s CR7 lifestyle goods, branded gyms, a movie studio, and Padel City in Lisbon.
Messi’s business empire is also impressive, but not quite as well publicized or vaunted. MiM Hotels has five locations with Messi involved in the business, and there’s the official The Messi Store in Barcelona. He’s also got the energy drink Más+, the restaurant chain El Club de la Milanesa, and media company 525 Rosario.
Across the off-pitch battle zones, Messi and Ronaldo square up rather well with plenty of time ahead to further their respective $1bn+ net worth valuations. Overall in this arena, though, CR7 looks to just about have the edge.