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Cristiano Ronaldo isn't shy of admitting that he wants to be remembered as the Greatest Footballer of All Time. And this is demonstrated by his peerless dedication to improving himself every year without a single moment of complacency.
However, Ronaldo has seen himself embroiled in an unprecedented footballing rivalry with the other GOAT claimant, Lionel Messi. As well as elevating football to new heights, these two have been the center of many a heated debate about which one truly deserves the moniker as the 'Greatest', with people coming up with elaborate arguments to prove their case.
This article will look at 3 footballing achievements that Cristiano Ronaldo has that Lionel Messi has been unable to equal so far:
#3 Won every trophy possible with 2 separate clubs
By the end of his 6 years at Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo had managed to win every possible trophy. Not only did Cristiano Ronaldo win every team trophy possible, but he also won the Golden Boot, the Ballon d'Or, and World Player of the Year.
Upon completing this herculean task, Ronaldo was soon after in Madrid where in 2014 he won his first of four Champions League titles with Real Madrid.
Although this was a significant achievement in itself, it had even more consequences for Ronaldo, as it meant that he had matched his feat at Manchester United, whilst at Real Madrid.
Whilst Lionel Messi has achieved this at Barcelona, due to his reluctance to test himself in another league, he has been unable to emulate Ronaldo's ludicrous achievement.
Furthermore, no other player in the history of football has managed to do this, and with Ronaldo at Juventus and having already won the league and the Super Cup, there is a chance he could do this for a third time.
#2 Won an international trophy
Messi has had a much stronger national team at his disposal compared to Ronaldo, and also had an arguably weaker continental competition to play in.
Nevertheless, Lionel Messi has thus far been unable to inspire his Argentinian side to its first international trophy at a major football competition in many years.
Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, despite having to carry most of the burden, relative to other national sides, managed to lead his Portuguese national team to their first international trophy ever. By winning the 2016 European Championships over France in their home stadium in Paris, Cristiano Ronaldo managed to achieve something that Lionel Messi has so far been unable to do.
With Ronaldo and Messi being constantly thrown into the 'Greatest Ever' debate, many critics have naturally been pointing to their empty international trophy cabinets. But with Ronaldo winning the European Championship trophy for Portugal, he is a notch above Messi in this respect.
#1 Won the Puskas Award
The Puskas award was established in 2009, and this award is given to the player who is decided by a panel of voters to have scored the best goal in a calendar year.
Cristiano Ronaldo won the debut award for his forty-yard screamer against Porto, whilst playing for Manchester United in the Champions League. After Ronaldo's stunning overhead kick against Juventus, it was expected that he would win a second Puskas award.
However, he was beaten by Mo Salah in a highly controversial victory that shocked both players, pundits, fans, and probably even Salah and Ronaldo. It seems quite shocking to say the least that Lionel Messi hasn't won this award throughout his career, given how many beautiful goals he has scored.
Nevertheless, this is an award that has eluded the Argentinian veteran throughout his career, and will be interesting to see if this changes in the future.
