As two of the greatest players of all time, the rivalry between Ronaldo and Messi has been a much needed spice in world football over the years....CONTINUE READING
Although it seems Messi finally won the GOAT battle following his 2022 World Cup win in Qatar, many believe that the debate is still very much open as long as the duo keep playing. For the record, the pair have faced each other 37 times in five different countries around the world.
In this article, I will give you a breakdown of these countries, the competition they played and the number of times they faced each other there;
1- Spain
Ronaldo and Messi’s first ever meeting was in Spain during a semi final first leg Champions league clash between Manchester United and Barcelona at the Camp Nou Stadium in 2008.
Ronaldo’s move to Real Madrid in 2009 ensured both players came up against each other at least twice every season between 2009-2018. They faced each other 33 times there.
2- England
The duo have only played against each other once in England and that was the return leg of the 2008 Champions league semi final clash between Manchester United and Barcelona.
3- Italy
In what was their first and only Champions league final meeting, the Portuguese came up against the Argentine as Barcelona defeated Manchester United 2-0 in Rome.
4- Argentina
In 2011, Argentina versus Portugal played an International friendly match hosted by the World Champions. The game gave Ronaldo and Messi the opportunity to face each other for the first time at the national level. It ended 2-1 in favor of La Albiceleste.
5- Saudi Arabia
For the first time since December 2020, Ronaldo and Messi, two of the best players of this generation met again in an exhibition match at the King Fahd International Stadium, Saudi Arabia.
Both the Portuguese and the Argentine were on the scoresheet as PSG defeated Al Nassr-Al Hilal all stars in a nine goal thriller.
Meeting in Saudi Arabia was a result of Ronaldo’s move to Al Nassr earlier this month following his exit from Manchester United.
The game which was played at the King Fahd International Stadium marked the 37th meeting between the Portuguese phenomenon and the Argentine empyrean in all competitions including friendlies. As of right now, Messi leads the way with 17 wins to Ronaldo’s 11, but both have had their fair share of goal involvements throughout the years.
