A thread on why Messi 🇦🇷 is better than Ronaldo 🇵🇹 on the international stage - without doubt
👇
Individual honours

Messi:
🥇World Cup 14 Golden Ball
🥇Copa 15 Golden Ball
🥇Copa 07 Best young player
🥇U20 WC 05 Golden Ball
🥇U20 WC 05 Golden Boot

Ronaldo:
🥈Euro 16 Silver Boot

I think this shows Messi's individual brilliance in comparison to Ronaldo's.
Best tournament performance:

Messi 🇦🇷 - Copa 16
3️⃣6️⃣5️⃣ Mins
5️⃣ Goals
4️⃣ Assists
4️⃣1️⃣ Mins p/ G/A
3️⃣ MOTM
8️⃣.9️⃣6️⃣ Rating

CR 🇵🇹 - Euro 16
6️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ Mins
3️⃣ Goals
2️⃣ Assists
1️⃣2️⃣0️⃣ Mins p/ G/A
2️⃣ MOTM
7️⃣.3️⃣4️⃣ Rating

Messi in 1/2 the minutes had better stats by a long way.
Most goals against (current world ranking) :

Messi 🇦🇷
5️⃣ Brazil (3)
5️⃣ Uruguay (5)
5️⃣ Paraguay (41)
4️⃣ Venezuela (25)
4️⃣ Ecuador (63)

Ronaldo 🇵🇹
7️⃣ Lithuania (131)
5️⃣ Andorra (135)
5️⃣ Armenia (102)
5️⃣ Latvia (137)
5️⃣ Luxembourg (98)

Speaks for itself...
Number of teams they have played more than twice without scoring:

Messi - 0️⃣

Ronaldo - 5️⃣
ALB 🇦🇱 - 5 games
FRA 🇫🇷 - 4 games
GER 🇩🇪 -4 games
BRA 🇧🇷 -3 games
ENG 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 -3 games

This shows Ronaldo's struggles v top teams.
I always hear "Messi only scores in friendlies".
This is a slightly lengthy topic.

Firstly, yes of course he does.
Copa do not have qualifiers like Euros do.

Euro qualifiers have added 35 'competitive' games for CR against much easier opponents.

.......
Outside of Euro qualifiers, Ronaldo scores 0.52 goals per game.

In Euro qualifiers he scores 0.88 goals per game.
This shows that his goal record benefits largely from Euro qualifiers and the weaker teams that he gets to play.
Aside from Euro qualifiers, Ronaldo plays a similar level of opponent in WC qualifiers.

If we now split Euro qualifiers, WC qualifiers and all other games:

Euro qualifiers = 0.88 per game
WC qualifiers = 0.79 per game
Others = 0.41 per game

A clear difference
Messi has scored a lot in friendlies - Brazil hattrick being the most prominent example.

Friendly win v Brazil 🇧🇷 =
5️⃣9️⃣1️⃣ Ranking points

Euro draw v Hungary 🇭🇺 =
4️⃣4️⃣2️⃣ points

Euro qualifier win v Andorra 🇦🇩 =
4️⃣9️⃣7️⃣ points

FIFA rate the Brazil win the tougher of all 3
KO goals in major tournaments

Messi 🇦🇷
4️⃣ Goals
-2x semi
-2x quarter final
1️⃣3️⃣ Assists
-5x semi
-4x quarter final
-3x RO16
-1x 3rd place play-off

CR 🇵🇹
3️⃣ Goals
-2x semi
-1x quarter final
3️⃣ Assists
-2x semi
-1x quarter final

Clearly Messi reigns supreme at this level.
Lastly a contentious issue -
Average Rating.

Alone it doesnt mean much, but with everything else in this thread it is telling.

Since 09/10 for their country in Major tournaments:

Messi 🇦🇷 - 8️⃣.4️⃣5️⃣
Ronaldo 🇵🇹 - 7️⃣.4️⃣8️⃣

Again a huge difference.
International Records:

Messi 🇦🇷

-Most MOTM at a WC Finals - 4️⃣
-Only player to score at WC in teens, 20's and 30's
-Only player to assist at least once in 4️⃣ WCs
-Most WC dribbles ever - 1️⃣1️⃣0️⃣
-Most Copa assists ever - 1️⃣1️⃣
-Most Copa MOTM ever - 9️⃣
International records:

Ronaldo 🇵🇹

-1 of only 4 to score in 4️⃣ different WC finals
-Oldest player to score a WC hattrick
33 Years and 130 days
-Most national teams scored against - 4️⃣1️⃣
-First player to score in 1️⃣0️⃣ consecutive tournaments
Thank you for reading, whats your opinion on the best at international level?
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