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Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been the flag bearers of modern football for more than a decade. The two have led a massive debate between fans all over the world about who is better. While Messi has gone one bit ahead with his seventh Ballon d'Or this year, Ronaldo has been on better form in the current campaign.
While the debate will never end, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will go down as two of the greatest players of the modern generation. Both players have been serial goal scorers over the years, irrespective of the position they've operated at.
Ronaldo has scored 802 goals in his career while Messi has scored 758.
Some footballers have scored more than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
In 2021, both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been at their usual high standards. However, five footballers have left them behind when it comes to goals tally for the year. Even though Messi has scored 34 goals and Ronaldo has notched up 33 goals in 2021, there have been names with more goals.
#5 Karim Benzema
Since moving as a highly-rated youngster from Lyon in 2009, the Frenchman has been a great performer for Real Madrid. Benzema has gone on to become one of the best forwards in Europe. He has always been a consistent scorer as he is an expert at holding the defender and then scoring with his impeccable finishing and positioning.
Karim Benzema has been in terrific form throughout the year and has notched up 36 goals in 48 appearances. Although Real Madrid are still in a transitional phase, Benzema has ensured that the club don't fall behind their usual standards.
#4 Mohamed Salah
Liverpool have enjoyed a period of resurgence in the last few years under manager Jurgen Klopp. Mohamed Salah has been their superstar in successful chases of the Premier League and Champions League trophies in 2020 and 2019 respectively. The Egyptian winger is an incredibly creative player who relies on his pace and trickery. He is as good with his passes as he is with finding the back of the net.
Salah has been in terrific form ever since he joined Liverpool in 2017, but 2021 has been a big year. In a season riddled with injuries, especially in defense, Liverpool had to trade in as many goals.
Mohamed Salah led from the front with 37 goals from 51 matches. Salah may have been unable to win a major trophy with Liverpool this year. However, his goals were a big reason why Liverpool were able to qualify for Europe.
#3 Kylian Mbappe
If there is one footballer in modern times that has been touted to succeed Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, it is Kylian Mbappe. The Frenchman first burst onto the scene with Monaco winning the Ligue 1 title with them in the 2016-17 season. He then joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 and has achieved much since then for club and country. The 2018 World Cup winner has been linked with Real Madrid recently, but his performances have not taken a hit.
Mbappe may have missed out on winning the Champions League, but he is at his usual high standards. In 2021, Kylian Mbappe scored more goals than both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
However, his 42 goals in 51 matches were insufficient as PSG fell short in their Ligue 1 and Champions League pursuits. Mbappe also became the third-ever player for PSG to go past 100 goals in Ligue 1.
#2 Erling Haaland
A major part of Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo's duel has been their consistent rivalry. If anyone has appeared as a competitor of Kylian Mbappe, it has to be Borussia Dortmund forward Erling Haaland.
Since his antics with Red Bull Salzburg (29 goals in 27 matches), the Norwegian has become a renowned star. He was linked with many clubs but ultimately settled at Dortmund in 2019.
Haaland is well known for his ability on the ball and his ability to know where the goal is. He is a physical specimen and uses the power of his torso to beat the opponents. He has shown finesse with both feet and head and has scored an incredible 43 goals in 42 games in 2021.
#1 Robert Lewandowski
The Polish striker has had a year that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo would have loved to have for themselves. He has been in scintillating form for Bayern Munich, where he has grown over the years to become a world-class player. If any player has the biggest fan craze after Ronaldo and Messi, it will be Lewandowski in recent times.
Many fans even believe it should have been the Bayern Munich footballer who should have been awarded the 2021 Ballon d'Or. The claims have substance based on the kind of performances made by Lewandowski in 2021.
He made 55 appearances and has scored 69 goals to cap off a memorable year. Along with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, it's quite certain that Lewandowski will go down as one of the best players of this generation.
