Lionel Messi Just 16 Goals Shy Of Overtaking Cristiano Ronaldo, Reignites The 'Greatest Of All Time' Debate

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, two greats of football who have revolutionized the sport, have and have shared the top spot for more than fifteen years, are in the last phase of their illustrious careers. Despite being close to 40, both these stalwarts, who share thirteen Ballon d'Or awards between them, continue to outsmart their opponents.

Though Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo both have stepped away from European football, they still remain the biggest names that the sport has ever seen and have their place and legacy cemented in the galaxy of greats.

Lionel Messi Eyes Cristiano Ronaldo's All-Time Career Record

Argentina legend Lionel Messi scored a brace for Inter Miami and took his tally to 884 career goals (club and country). Interestingly, Leo Messi is only 16 strikes away from reaching the 900 landmark, something that his old on-field rival CR7 has already breached. Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese great, scored his 900th career goal in September 2024 while playing the Nations League.

'It was emotional because it’s a milestone. It seems like any other milestone but only I know, and the people around me, how hard it is to work every day, to be physically and psychologically fit, to score 900 goals. It’s a unique milestone in my career,' said Cristiano after he breached the landmark figure.

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Cristiano Ronaldo played a total of 1,236 (club and country) games to reach the iconic figure. CR7 averages 112.05 minutes per strike, and it is a testament to the skillsets that he has. Messi, on the other hand, is guaranteed to reach the landmark and break Cristiano Ronaldo's record in lesser games. Messi has scored 884 goals in 1,124 appearances so far, and he needs just 17 goals in his next 111 matches to go past CR7.

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List Of Milestones That Messi can Breach

Apart from being just 16 goals away from 900 career goals, Lionel Messi is just 8 assists away from 400 career assists and 24 Goals/Assists away from 1,300 Goals/Assists.

Argentina will play four friendly matches till the time this year ends. The Argentina great will have 15 more matches between now and the end of 2025, but there is a suspense about him being available for each and every game.