The soccer GOAT debate has continued for many years. At this point, the three main players discussed in this debate are Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Pele. Both Pele and Messi have won the FIFA World Cup while Cristiano Ronaldo has not. However, which one of them has the strongest case to be the greatest soccer player ever? Read on and find out more about this debate.
Soccer GOAT: Cristiano Ronaldo’s Case
Cristiano Ronaldo no longer plays at the highest level of club football. He joined Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League in 2023. However, Ronaldo has won the Ballon d’Or five times, the European Golden Shoe four times, and the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award three times.
In terms of club football more broadly, Ronaldo has won a total of 33 trophies. This includes five Champions League titles and seven league titles. Ronaldo has also won the European Championship with Portugal, doing so in 2016. Additionally, Ronaldo has scored more than 890 career goals over the course of his club career and international career. This means that he is the top goal-scorer in the history of soccer.
However, there is one major trophy that Cristiano Ronaldo has never won. It seems unlikely that he will ever win this trophy at this point in his career.
Cristiano Ronaldo Has Never Won the FIFA World Cup
Winning the FIFA World Cup is quite difficult, but it is still valid to bring this up when discussing Ronaldo’s case for soccer GOAT status. Ronaldo led Portugal to victory at the 2016 European Championship. He has a major international trophy on his resume.
However, Portugal have still never won the FIFA World Cup. Portugal reached the semi-final of the 2006 World Cup but lost that semi-final 1-0 to France. That is the closest Portugal have come to winning the World Cup since Cristiano Ronaldo became part of the Portuguese national team.
Ronaldo has scored eight goals at the World Cup and has been Portugal’s star man for more than a decade at this point. Despite this, not winning a World Cup does count against Ronaldo in this discussion.
Lionel Messi’s Soccer GOAT Case
Cristiano Ronaldo’s long-time rival Lionel Messi is another player often brought up in discussions about who the greatest soccer player of all time is. Messi has won the Ballon d’Or eight times, the European Golden Shoe six times, and FIFA named him the best player in the world eight times. Additionally, Messi won 34 trophies during his time with FC Barcelona. That includes four Champions League titles and 10 La Liga titles.
With the Argentine national team, Messi has won both the Copa America in 2021 and the World Cup in 2022. Messi holds the record for most goals scored for one club with 672 goals. Lionel Messi signed for Major League Soccer club Inter Miami in July of 2023.
Messi leading Argentina to World Cup glory in 2022 as the team’s best player led some to conclude that Messi has settled the Cristiano Ronaldo-Lionel Messi debate.
Pele’s Soccer GOAT Case
The late great Pele has a strong case to be the greatest soccer player ever. Pele has scored the most goals in soccer history when one includes friendly games. Additionally, Pele won the World Cup with Brazil three times and those triumphs came in 1958, 1962, and 1970. He was only 17 when he won the World Cup for the first time in 1958. Pele scored 77 goals in 92 games for Brazil, which stood as the record for the most goals scored for Brazil until Neymar broke the record on September 8th, 2023.
When it comes to club football, Pele is mostly known for his time with Brazilian club Santos. Pele led Santos to consecutive Copa Libertadores titles in 1962 and 1963 as well as consecutive Intercontinental Cup titles in those same years. Pele never played for a European club, but his greatness is undeniable.
Whose GOAT Case Is Strongest?
Considering both club football and international soccer achievements, Messi and Pele both surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo. The debate about whether Messi or Pele is the best soccer player ever is interesting. Pele won the World Cup more times than Messi, but Messi achieved more in club football. Either Messi or Pele is a sensible choice for the best soccer player ever. Cristiano Ronaldo has had an incredible career, but his failure to win a World Cup title with Portugal looms large in this discussion.
More Sports GOAT Articles Are on the Way
There will be more articles about the GOAT debates in various sports soon. They will help you learn more about these debates and about the athletes discussed in these debates. Check back soon for more high-quality content about these debates.