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#2 Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) - five-time Ballon d'Or winner
Nearly 37, Cristiano Ronaldo's longevity is unlike anything we've seen in football, and is only matched by his eternal rival Lionel Messi (more on him later). Love him or hate him, the Portuguese superstar's statistical superiority cannot be denied. CR7 is the greatest goalscorer in the game's history, and the terrifying bit is that he's not finished yet.
Since making his debut for Manchester United in 2003 as an 18-year-old, Ronaldo has performed at the highest level for almost two decades. In that span, he has rewritten virtually every goalscoring record, and has won every individual accolade in his grasp.
By the time he hangs up his boots, Ronaldo may very well be considered Real Madrid's greatest player, and why not? His Los Blancos record of 450 goals and 132 assists in 438 appearances is beyond belief, and is the best in club history by a country mile.
His Manchester United record is also exceptional. That is even more impressive when one considers that the Premier League was arguably the best domestic top-flight league in the game in the 2000s. Even his 'relatively disappointing' spell at Juventus yielded a staggering 101 goals in 134 games.
The Portuguese superstar is the best player in the history of the Champions League, which is European club football's biggest and toughest competition. He leads all players with 141 goals, and has registered the most assists in the tournament as well (42). If that isn't enough, Ronaldo has won the competition a record five times, including a stunning hat-trick of titles between 2016 and 2018.
With Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo has become the greatest goalscorer in men's international football history. His record of 115 goals with the national team is unparalleled. He captained them to their first major trophy in the country's history at Euro 2016, netting three crucial strikes.
Ronaldo is already football's all-time leading scorer, with 799 goals in official competitive fixtures for club and country. Listing out his individual accolades is anything but short and simple.
He has five Ballon d'Or, three FIFA World Player of the Year and three UEFA Player of the Year awards. The forward has also won three Pichichi trophies. He also held the Premier League record for most goals in a season before it was broken by Mohamed Salah.
Ronaldo is a four-time European Golden Boot winner. He is the only player apart from Zinedine Zidane to be named the Player of the Year in three of Europe's top five leagues.
Most importantly, Ronaldo is the epitome of hard work and dedication. While not the most naturally gifted player of all time, the Portuguese superstar developed into arguably the greatest athlete in the game. The once skinny teenager from Madeira showed that with the right attitude and work ethic, anything is possible.
Lionel Messi, Ronaldo's greatest rival, had high praise for the Portuguese superstar, saying:
“(Ronaldo) is always there scoring goals in all the games and taking part in his club and national side. He has been doing that for many years and whether he is at his peak or a bit below, it makes no difference.”
#1 Lionel Messi (Argentina) - seven-time Ballon d'Or winner
Lionel Messi has enjoyed a fulfilling 2021 calendar year. The 2021 Copa America triumph was the final piece of the puzzle, and a seventh Ballon d'Or crown is now the icing on the cake. But it feels like a formality at this point, as the Argentine legend has already cemented his place as the best player of all time.
The diminutive playmaker is undeniably the greatest attacking force to have stepped onto a football pitch. Whether it is gliding past players, unlocking defences with pinpoint passing or putting the ball into the back of the net, the 34-year-old continues to do it all at an elite level.
Like Cristiano Ronaldo, there is little use in dissecting Messi's rich haul of trophies. The duo have won everything there is to win apart from the elusive FIFA World Cup.
The little magician spent 17 glorious years with Barcelona after his debut in 2004, scoring 672 goals and providing 305 assists in 778 appearances. The Argentine is inarguably the greatest player in Barcelona and La Liga history. He is also the all-time top scorer for the Spanish club and the division as well.
Together with Pep Guardiola, Messi was at the heart of the greatest club football team in history - Barcelona's treble-winning team of 2009. Astonishingly, the best was yet to come. He followed that up with 91 goals in the 2012 calendar year, a frankly ridiculous record that is likely to stand for a very, very long time indeed.
In fact, Lionel Messi's 2011-12 campaign saw him score 73 goals and provide 48 assists in 61 appearances (as per Transfermarkt). It is arguably the greatest individual season in football history.
With seven Ballon d'Or wins, the 2009 FIFA World Player of the Year award, eight Pichichi trophies, two UEFA Men's Player of the year titles, seven La Liga Player of the Year crowns and five European Golden Boots, Messi has won every accolade possible during his club career.
During his time with the club, Barcelona became one of the most feared teams in world football. The Blaugrana and Messi won an incredible 35 trophies together, including ten La Liga titles, eight Spanish Super Cups, seven Copa del Rey trophies and four Champions League wins.
The only real criticism of Lionel Messi in the past was his failure to win an international trophy with Argentina. He finally conquered that frontier earlier this year, and in some style. Messi captained his country to Copa America glory, and was named Player of the Tournament as well.
It was sweet redemption for Messi after the heartbreak of the 2014 FIFA World Cup final. He did win the Golden Ball for best player at the tournament that year, though. Messi is Argentina's all-time record scorer, with 80 goals in 158 appearances. He also led them to gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The only question for Messi is what's next? Now on a new adventure in Paris, the Argentine superstar continues to dazzle and entertain fans, who may never see anyone quite like him again.
“I think about the great players with whom I have shared a pitch: Eric Cantona, Zinedine Zidane, Pirlo, Xavi, Ronaldo and the greatest of them all is Messi,” said Paul Scholes while discussing the Argentinean superstar.
