'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The debate over who is better between Ronaldo and Messi has been, and still is, hotly contested with there being little sign that a consensus will be formed any time soon.
However, there is one debate that virtually the whole football is in agreement with, which is that both Ronaldo and Messi are, and have been, the two best players in the world over the decade.
Players such as Iniesta, Neymar, and Suarez have, at some point, been placed as somewhere close to the pair, but not for very long and never really in the same bracket.
This article will look at feats that both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have achieved since their duopoly began at the end of 2007 to demonstrate that the pair have been consistently the two best players in the world during this period.
#5 Scoring 50+ goals on at least 5 occasions
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have completely changed the goal scoring paradigm over the last decade with each player consistently bagging 50 goals a season.
Whilst there have been players who have on an odd occasion approached or even exceeded the 50 goal mark, only Messi and Ronaldo have been able to do so on at least 5 occasions.
This goal scoring prowess is just one of the examples of how far ahead the pair have been of their contemporaries over the last decade or so.
It can be argued that the conversion of the game into all-out attacking "total football" has helped the two reach consistent figures that other legends like the Brazilian Ronaldo, Henry, and Raul never quite did.
Nevertheless, players and fans will remember them as an unstoppable goal-scoring force during their generation.
Also See : Durand Cup, Durand Cup Schedule, Calcutta Football League
#4 Winning 5 Ballon D'Ors
The iconic 'golden ball' is the most coveted individual award in world football and is the dream of many players to win one.
Sadly, however, it will always be just a dream for most, but for those lucky few who do manage to win 'at least' one Ballon Do'r, it is an incredibly special feat.
Messi and Ronaldo, on the other hand, haven't simply won the award once, but on five separate occasions!
This is a joint record that the two sporting behemoths share, and what's more incredible is that from 2008-2017 no other player managed to win the Ballon D'Or other than them.
In 2018 Luka Modric controversially won the Ballon D'Or however, with many feeling this was due general belief that it was time for the award to be given to a different player.
Whilst this article will not go into the depths of that, the fact that Messi and Ronaldo had a stranglehold over the award for a decade is a peerless feat which shows just how far ahead they both have been of their generation.
#3 Being in the FIFA world XI for 12 straight years
Being heralded as the best player in the world is the ultimate personal accolade in football, second to that, however, is being chosen as the best in your position.
The annual selection of FIFA's world XI is something that the footballing world always looks forward to, with it often causing mass debate about certain selections.
Two players whose selections in the prestigious 'team' have never been controversial are Ronaldo and Messi.
It has gotten to the point where before the start of the year everyone knows that two of the spots on the team are already filled by Ronaldo and Messi, and the proof really has been in the pudding.
Like everything in football there have been occasions where football fans and pundits have been surprised to see certain players picked for the FIFA world XI, however, this has never been the case with Ronaldo and Messi.
Although there have been other players who have featured in multiple FIFA world XI's over the last decade, none have done so for every year since 2007 like Ronaldo and Messi have.
This is a great indicator of how prominent and dominant the pair have been in world football, boasting an elite consistency that no others have been able to maintain.
#2 Champions League top scorer at least 5 times
The Champions League is the most elite club competition in football, with some even arguing that it is a tournament of an even higher standard than the World Cup.
Since Ronaldo's maiden Champions League victory in the 2007/08 season, either him or Messi have been the top goalscorer in the Champions League in every season since then.
Messi has been the seasonal top scorer in the Champions League on five separate occasions.
Ronaldo sits on an even more impressive seven seasons as the tournament's top goal scorer, however, Messi's five is still the all-time second most and is still an incredible feat.
In addition, as well as this showing their dominance over the competition during the peak of their careers, it has also meant that they are now the top two goalscorers on the all-time list, with Ronaldo top on 121 goals and Messi second with 106.
#1 Becoming top scorers for their clubs
Becoming the top goal scorer at any club is a great feat, but to have done so at arguably the two greatest clubs in the history of football is even more special.
When considering the players that have played for Barcelona and Real Madrid throughout their illustrious lifespans, it really elevates what an achievement it has been for both Messi and Ronaldo to do this.
Furthermore, not only have they become their clubs (old club in Ronaldo's case) top goalscorers, they have set the bar so high that it wouldn't be surprising if their records are never broken.
These achievements typify what peerless talents Messi and Ronaldo have been, especially when considering the rate in which they broke their club's goal scoring records with Ronaldo even managing to do so at over a goal a game!
Both Ronaldo and Messi have pushed each other to new heights over the years, and continue to do so, whilst their time will one day end at the pinnacle of football, it is not today.
And whilst we can debate who is better between the two of them, it is sometimes nice just to appreciate them both as the two greatest players in the world, and perhaps of all time.
