There is no denying that both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are two of the greatest footballers of all time, but the Argentina icon is far superior when it comes to World Cup goals.
We are all lucky enough to have witnessed these two generational talents competing at the top level, at the same time, for the past 20 years.
But, if you're still debating who is the better footballer, the respective goals tallies of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo really does make the answer very clear indeed.
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Lionel Messi has scored more World Cup goals than Cristiano Ronaldo
Thanks to his exploits at the World Cup 2026, Messi is now the all-time top goalscorer at World Cups in footballing history.
The Argentina legend now has 18 goals in 28 appearances, including five at this year's tournament.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo is currently on ten goals. He bagged his latest two in the game between Portugal and Uzbekistan in the group stages of the 2026 World Cup.
That made him the first player to score in six different World Cups, with yet another record in the bag for Ronaldo. But the 41-year-old is still lagging behind his old rival in terms of output.
Another source of frustration for Ronaldo is the fact that he is still yet to score in a World Cup knockout game, with all nine of his goals coming in the group stages.
World Cup (year) |
Lionel Messi goals |
Cristiano Ronaldo goals |
|---|---|---|
2006 |
1 |
1 |
2010 |
0 |
1 |
2014 |
4 |
1 |
2018 |
1 |
4 |
2022 |
7 |
1 |
2026 |
5 |
2 |
