Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will go down in history as two of the greatest footballers of all-time.
They’ve been untouchable for over a decade but all good things must come to an end, and it’s likely the pair will be slowing down in the next few seasons.
Juventus icon Ronaldo is now 34 years old, while Barcelona’s star is 32 himself. Soon, it will be time for someone else to step up and fill the void that they’ll leave.
Over the course of their careers, both men have scored a ridiculous number of goals. Messi currently has 671 from 823 appearances, while his Portuguese rival has hit 695 goals from 966.
On the surface, those goal hauls are nothing short of absolutely amazing. But if we dig a little deeper, it seems one is much more impressive than the other.
That’s because even if Messi fails to score a goal in his next 109 games, he will still match Ronaldo’s goal-per-game ratio.
According to givemesport.com, as it stands, the Juventus forward has stats that look like this: 966 games – 695 goals = 0.72 goals-per-game.
Barca’s captain currently has: 823 Games – 671 Goals = 0.82 goals-per-game.
Messi’s record right now is far superior. Considering he’s also two years younger, he has a better chance of improving his average than Ronaldo does.
This statistic is yet another argument that fans of the Argentine can use to suggest he’s the greatest player of all-time.
Of course, there are plenty of other reasons that some fans still think Ronaldo still deserves the GOAT title.
Some will point to his achievements on the international stage, while others believe he’s proved himself in three different leagues, rather than just one.
But what’s important is that we make the most of this epic rivalry and appreciate both players, because it’s not going to last forever.
