Who has more World Cup goals Messi or Ronaldo? The battle of legends

Who has more World Cup goals Messi or Ronaldo? is one of the controversial topics and attracts great attention from football fans around the world. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, two great superstars of modern football, have created memorable records at major tournaments, especially the World Cup. However, although both have impressive achievements, fans and experts always ask this question to compare the difference between the two legends in scoring at the most prestigious tournament on the planet. Will Messi or Ronaldo be the one to dominate the race to score at the World Cup? Let’s find out with Kingsoccertips.com through the content below!

Who has more World Cup goals Messi or Ronaldo?

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are two legends of world football, but when comparing who has more world cup goals Ronaldo or Messi, Messi is somewhat superior. Messi has scored a total of 13 goals after 26 matches at 5 World Cups (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022), while Ronaldo has 8 goals after 19 matches at the same number of tournaments. In particular, Messi shone brightly at the 2022 World Cup, scoring 7 goals and contributing greatly to helping Argentina win the championship after defeating France in the penalty shootout.

Ronaldo, although always maintaining high form in club tournaments and being an excellent goalscorer, has not had a truly explosive World Cup like Messi. Ronaldo’s best achievement was 4 goals at the 2018 World Cup. In the remaining tournaments, he only scored 1 goal per tournament, although he was always expected to be the leader of the Portuguese team. The 2022 World Cup was also not a success for Ronaldo when he only scored 1 goal and his team stopped in the quarterfinals against Morocco.

The difference between Messi and Ronaldo is not only in the number of goals, but also in the influence in the tournament. Messi made history by not only scoring many goals but also bringing Argentina to the top of the world, an achievement that helped him affirm his position in the race with Ronaldo. Meanwhile, although Ronaldo won Euro 2016 with Portugal, the World Cup dream is still unattainable for the Portuguese star.

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Messi World Cup career

Before he officially won the title in 2022 with a penalty shootout win over France, Messi came very close to winning the FIFA World Cup in Brazil in 2014, when Argentina lost to Germany in the final, despite scoring four goals in seven matches.

The 2010 World Cup in South Africa was a memorable one for Messi: he failed to score a single goal, and Argentina were eliminated in the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, at the 2006 and 2018 World Cups, he only scored one goal in each tournament.

As Barcelona’s all-time top scorer, Messi is known for his top form in big tournaments, especially the Champions League, but he has not scored in matches beyond the round of 16 at the World Cup until 2022.

In that tournament, Messi had a beautiful goal to open the scoring against Australia. His next two goals both came from the penalty spot: one in the quarter-final against the Netherlands where he also scored in the shootout and another to break the deadlock in the semi-final against Croatia.

In the final, Messi continued to shine with two goals, playing a significant role in Argentina’s convincing victory.

Messi has had a memorable run at the World Cup:

• In 2006, he was eliminated in the quarter-finals with one goal in three games.
• In 2010, Argentina were eliminated in the quarter-finals, and Messi failed to score in five games.
• In 2014, he reached the final with the team, scoring four goals in seven games but was defeated.
• In 2018, Argentina’s journey ended in the round of 16, with Messi scoring one goal in four games.
• By 2022, Messi shone brightly, scoring 7 goals in 7 matches, leading Argentina to the championship.

Ronaldo World Cup career

Despite winning Euro 2016 with Portugal, Ronaldo has not been able to reach the same heights at the World Cup as he has in club competitions.

Ronaldo has scored in every World Cup he has played in. However, like Messi, his scoring record in the final rounds of the tournament has been modest, with a total of eight goals in 19 games.

Ronaldo’s closest chance of World Cup glory came in his first appearance in 2006, when Portugal lost to France in the semi-finals in Germany. Since then, Portugal’s World Cup performance has been disappointing, most notably a 0-1 loss to Morocco in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup.

Cristiano Ronaldo has had notable performances at the World Cup:

• In 2006, Ronaldo and the Portuguese team reached the semi-finals, playing 6 matches and scoring 1 goal.
• In 2010, Portugal’s journey stopped at the round of 16. Ronaldo played 4 matches and scored 1 goal.
• In 2014, Portugal failed to advance from the group stage, Ronaldo scored 1 goal in 3 matches.
• In 2018, he showed better form, scoring 4 goals in 4 matches, but Portugal still stopped at the round of 16.
• In 2022, the journey ended in the quarter-finals, Ronaldo played 5 matches and scored 1 goal.

Final Thoughts

So the question who has more World Cup goals Messi or Ronaldo? through the above article you have the answer for yourself, right? Although both have impressive scoring records, the difference in playing style and the historic moments that each player brings in the World Cup is undeniable. Regardless of who scores more goals, both Messi and Ronaldo have proven their superior talent and left indelible marks in the history of world football.

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