'%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)
Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Granit Xhaka once proclaimed Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to be otherworldly, considering their on-field exploits, which are sitll ongoing.
Ronaldo and Messi are widely regarded as two of the best ever to grace the beautiful game. With 938 and 865 goals, respectively, for club and country, the duo are the most prolific goalscorers in history.
They have scored goals and won individual honours and big titles galore. The two account for a staggering 13 Ballon d'Or titles between them, with Messi winning eight.
Following a 3-1 win over Xhaka's Switzerland in the inaugural UEFA Nations League semis in Porto in June 2019 - where Ronaldo scored all three goals - Xhaka was all praise for the then 34-year-old Al-Nassr striker:
Trending
"It's unbelievable what a player he is," Xhaka said (as per One Football.) "It's not for nothing that he's one of the best players in the world. He's special because he knows always where you have to go and to be.
When asked about the Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo GOAT debate, the Swiss didn't pick sides, hailing both legends:
"One of them (isn't the best in the world). In my opinion, you have two of them. They are not in this world. Those two are clear of the rest. If you play at 34 on this level you deserve a lot of respect.
"He shows in all the games – international and with Juventus – that he has unbelievable quality. It's difficult to stop him and he showed up not in a good moment for us."
Since ending his three-season spell at Juventus in 2021, Ronaldo returned for a second stint at Manchester United and is now at Al-Nassr, whom he joined on a free transfer in December 2022.
How have Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi fared in international football in 2025?
Lionel Messi has played just once in 2025 for Argentina, missing the 1-0 win at Uruguay and 4-1 victory over arch-rivals Brazil in the 2026 CONMEBOL FIFA World Cup qualifiers in March.
He returned to action in the 1-0 win at Chile, with Lionel Scaloni's side already through to the finals next year in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo has had a successful year in international football. After failing to score in Portugal's 1-0 quarter-final first leg Nations League loss at Denmark, he has netted in the next three. That includes the shootout win over Spain in the final on Sunday as Ronaldo and Co. became the first multiple winners of the competition.
