Messi and Cristiano at the World Cup: two legends, two destinies
One won it all in 2022; the other scored at five different World Cups without lifting the Cup. The World Cup records of the two giants of an era.
For almost two decades, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo dominated world football and starred in the greatest individual rivalry of their time. At the World Cup, however, their paths ended up being very different.
Cristiano Ronaldo played five World Cups between 2006 and 2022 with Portugal and achieved a unique mark: he is the first player to score at five different World Cups. He netted eight goals in all and led his country to fourth place in 2006, but the world crown always eluded him.
Messi, by contrast, completed the perfect story. After losing the 2014 final —in which he was already named the tournament's best player— he was crowned world champion in 2022 by beating France in an epic final decided on penalties, and won the tournament's Golden Ball again, something no one else has managed twice.
The Argentine also dominates the longevity records: with 26 matches played he holds the record for most games in World Cup history, and his 13 goals place him among the tournament's top scorers. The numbers of an unrepeatable career.
Two geniuses, two destinies: the one who had to wait until his final World Cup to touch glory, and the one who, despite all his records, could never lift the one trophy he was missing. Together they defined an era of football that the 2026 World Cup already watches from a distance.
Source: Wikipedia (Lionel Messi; Cristiano Ronaldo; FIFA World Cup records and statistics).