Gary Lineker believes that Lionel Messi has settled the debate on who the ‘Greatest Of All Time’ (GOAT) after his starring performance in Argentina’s World Cup semi-final win over Croatia.
Messi opened the scoring in the three-goal victory by netting from the penalty spot to become Argentina’s record World Cup scorer. That was one of four records set by Messi during a typically talismanic performance for his nation, whom he will lead in Sunday’s World Cup final.
The superstar led Argentina to the Copa America title last year and winning the World Cup would complete his set of medals as he attempted to cement his status as the best player of all time. This year is likely to be his final edition of the tournament - as he will be aged 39 for the 2026 World Cup.
There has been a long-running rivalry at the elite end of football between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who is two years his elder and has struggled for form all season. Ronaldo ended his relationship with Manchester United by mutual consent last month, following his bombshell interview with Piers Morgan.
The two superstars swiftly ascended to stardom in the opening seasons of their career, but their rivalry went into overdrive when they spearheaded Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively. The duo are two of the greatest players ever to step onto a pitch, and they led two of modern football’s greatest sides.
Lineker tweeted during the match: “Is there still a debate (about who the best ever player is)? Asking for a goat.”
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Former Chelsea and England captain John Terry concurred with Lineker’s view, explaining on beIN Sports after the game: "If there's any debate about who the greatest ever is, if he goes on to win this World Cup, I think that settles it between him and Ronaldo."
Ronaldo’s nine years at Real Madrid saw him obliterate the club’s goal scoring record with a scarcely believable 450 goals in just 438 appearances, before leaving for Juventus in 2018. Messi’s 672 goals across 16 Barca matches was not just the club’s highest ever goal tally, but more than tallies of the second highest, third highest and fourth highest combined.
The two players shared a remarkable sporting rivalry across more than a decade. They won 12 of 13 successive Ballon d’Or titles between them, with Messi edging out Ronaldo with seven individual honours compared to the Portuguese superstar’s five gongs (Luka Modric, in 2018, was the only player to break the sequence).
Conversely, Ronaldo leads Messi on Champions League titles won with his five crowns eclipsing Messi’s four (although the Argentine did not play a role in the latter stages of Barca’s 2006 success) in Europe’s premier club competition. Messi has won more league titles but Ronaldo – who is two years his elder – has scored more goals at both club and international level.
