Lionel Messi matches Cristiano Ronaldo feat after starring in Argentina's WC qualifier win against Venezuela

Argentine superstar Lionel Messi matched his eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo's feat with a brace against Venezuela in the World Cup Qualifiers. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner scored in the 39th and 80th minutes respectively as the Albiceleste beat Venezuela 3-0 with Lautaro Martinez scoring the other goal.

With the two goals Messi scored on Thursday, September 4, he has now equalled Cristiano Ronaldo's number of goals in World Cup Qualifiers (via Asianet News). They have both scored 36 goals and only trail former Guatemalan striker Carlos Ruiz, who has 39 goals to his name.

Lionel Messi potentially played his last game for Argentina on his home soil on Thursday and it was an emotional moment for him and the fans. The 38-year-old walked onto the pitch at the Monumental Stadium with his children and was met with thunderous applause from more than 80,000 fans.

The former Barcelona superstar is yet to announce his retirement plans but it is understood that he could hang up his boots after the FIFA World Cup 2026. He has already achieved everything for club and country and is the most decorated player of all time.

Lionel Messi has won 46 trophies across his illustrious career, including the FIFA World Cup in 2022. He has also won the Ballon d'Or on a record eight occasions.

Across his glittering career, Cristiano Ronaldo has been the biggest rival of the Argentine maestro. The Portuguese superstar also has five Ballon d'Ors to his name and also holds countless individual records.

Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record for most caps and most goals in international football. He has represented Portugal 221 times so far and has scored 138 goals and provided 45 assists. Lionel Messi, on the other hand, has scored 114 times and produced 61 assists for Argentina in 194 appearances.

---

Pundit claims Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo could not play in the same team

Pundit Wes Brown has answered whether Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo would succeed if they had played in the same team. The two players dominated football for almost two decades and many wonder whether they could play together on the same team.

Wes Brown, who played alongside Ronaldo at Manchester United, believes it would not have worked out if they had played together. He told GOAL:

“I would love that. We talk about all these strikers over the years - [Robert] Lewandowski, [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic, [Didier] Drogba, [Wayne] Rooney - these two are completely different. You can’t even put them in the same category. They just keep on going with what they have done in the game, the goals, the assists, what they have won. You can’t really compare them to anyone else. These two for me stand out alone on many things."

The former Manchester United defender added:

“The fact that Messi is still going, he’s really enjoying his time at Miami. I don’t think it’s a competition but at the same time, it may be. No-one else can be in this competition. It’s like ‘okay, you pick me, I pick you, but you lot are not good enough to be in our league, so it’s me against him’. I think that’s brilliant."

The former England international added:

“Imagine if they didn’t have anyone to compete against. Maybe you might not have seen this. Regardless of what anyone says, it’s not nasty competition, it’s friendly competition. These two guys have been the best for the last 15, 16 years. It’s been very hard, even though there are some unbelievable players in the world, to get anywhere near them."

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo faced each other on 36 occasions for club and country. The Argentine superstar ended up on the winning side 16 times and lost 11 times, with nine games ending in a draw.