Cristiano Ronaldo breaks Lionel Messi record as match-worn Portugal shit edges out kit worn by Argentine rival in auction

Cristiano Ronaldo has broken Lionel Messi's record for the most valuable match-worn jersey. The Portuguese superstar's recent kit from the FIFA World Cup qualifier win over Armenia is being sold at a live auction.

Ronaldo starred for Portugal in their 5-0 win over Armenia last week, scoring a brace in the game. Joao Felix also got a brace in the game, while Joao Cancelo scored the other goal as Roberto Martinez's side made a superb start to their campaign.

The jersey worn by Ronaldo is now being auctioned, with four days remaining for the deadline. However, the Portugal kit has already surpassed the record held by Messi.

According to MatchWornShirt (via GOAL), Ronaldo's kit currently has a bid of £61,657, which is over £12,000 more than Messi's PSG kit against Reims. The Argentine's kit was sold for £49,446 in 2023 and has remained the record since then.

Unsurprisingly, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have eight of the 10 most valuable kits sold at an auction. The Argentine has five to his name, while the Portuguese superstar has three.

Tottenham legend Son Heung-Min is the fourth most valuable kit, selling for £41,221. Chelsea's Cole Palmer sneaked into the top 10 list after his kit sold for £34,441.

Cristiano Ronaldo not on the same level as Lionel Messi, claims pundit

ESPN FC pundit Craig Burley has explained why fans do not see Cristiano Ronaldo at the same level as Lionel Messi. He believes that the Argentine's impressive feat of taking them to FIFA World Cup glory in 2022 and also contributing constantly on the pitch makes him better than the Portuguese superstar. He said:

"(Messi) still doing things that's affecting the game, even if he's not scoring even if he's not beating six or seven players leaving them on the backside and scoring this magnificent goal..... The French were more talented but the Argentinian side(2022 World Cup) was more built as a unit around Lionel Messi and he's still able to do stuff on the ball that affects the game."

"So you're not looking so much at oh Messi never scored. Whereas for me you're looking at a number nine in Cristiano Ronaldo is well if he's not scoring goals what else is he doing. So I think that picture is slightly murkier. What we can't argue about is four years ago is Leo Messi helped take Argentina to the promised land, a land that you know the Diego Maradona's of this world once took Argentina."

Argentina have qualified for the FIFA World Cup next year, but Lionel Messi has not confirmed if he will be playing at the tournament. Portugal have just started their qualifiers, but Cristiano Ronaldo has admitted that he would like to play at the tournament in the United States next summer.