Messi, who won the ‘Meho War’, surpassed Ronaldo in career goals

Messi, who won the ‘Meho War’, surpassed Ronaldo in career goals

Enter: 2022-12-22 18:01:41

Reporter Jung Kwang-yong [email protected]

Through winning the 2022 World Cup in Qatar
Ronaldo and best player debate over
Scored 793 goals in 1003 matches
26 goals behind Ronaldo with 819 goals
Total club goals and Champions League goals
Highly likely to rank first considering age and skill

Lionel Messi, who led Argentina to victory at the FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar, is aiming to reverse the career scoring category ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo. Considering that Messi is two years younger than Ronaldo, Messi is likely to top the all-time scoring list. On the 19th (Korean time), Messi cheers with the trophy after winning the World Cup final in Qatar. Left: Ronaldo leaving the stadium after losing against Morocco. AP Yonhap News

As ‘God of Football’ Lionel Messi (35, Paris Saint-Germain) lifted the 2022 Qatar World Cup championship trophy, the ‘Meho War’ virtually ended with Messi’s victory.

Meho War is a debate between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo (37) to determine the ‘best soccer player of the time’. It’s like the Korean version of the ‘GOAT (The Greatest Of All Time)’ argument in the West.

Messi and Ronaldo reigned as two great mountain ranges in world football for nearly 15 years from the mid-2000s. Even for the Ballon d’Or, which is given to the best player, Messi has won 7 times and Ronaldo has won 5 times, ranking first and second in this category. Ronaldo has won the UEFA Champions League 5 times and Messi 4 times.

Even in their national team careers, the two went ahead and behind. Ronaldo won the Euro 2016 (European Football Championship) and the 2018-2019 UEFA Nations League while wearing the Portugal national team uniform.

Messi lifted the first trophy in a major tournament last year by leading Argentina to the top at the Copa America (South American Football Championship). And finally, he became the world cup champion in Qatar and stood tall in his top spot.

After winning the Champions League, winning the Ballon d’Or, and winning the Olympic gold medal (2008 Beijing Olympics), Messi’s only task was to win the World Cup. With this win, Messi became the first player to win all four trophies. He recorded 13 goals and 8 assists in his World Cup career with 7 goals and 3 assists at the Qatar World Cup, and also recorded 21 attack points, the most ever. This is a record that surpasses Gerd Müller (14 goals, 5 assists, Germany), Ronaldo (15 goals, 4 assists, Brazil), and Miroslav Klose (16 goals, 3 assists, Germany).

In addition, Messi became the first player to receive this award twice by winning the Golden Ball (Best Player) again following the 2014 Brazil tournament.

On the other hand, Ronaldo ended his last World Cup stage in a dreary state as Portugal lost 0-1 to Morocco in the quarterfinals of this tournament. He scored a penalty kick goal in the first group match against Ghana, becoming the first player ever to score in all five World Cup tournaments, but he had no attacking points beyond that.

Messi, who won the World Cup in Qatar, the final match of the Meho War, is now aiming to recapture the top scorer (FIFA official tally) ahead of Ronaldo. Messi currently has 793 goals in 1003 appearances. He scored 695 goals for clubs such as FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and 98 goals for the national team.

The gap with Ronaldo, who is recording 819 goals in his career, is 26 goals. He is only six goals behind Ronaldo, who scored 701 goals in his career. In the UEFA Champions League, Messi scored 129 goals and Ronaldo scored 140, showing an 11-goal difference.

It is not easy to reverse the 26-goal difference in total scoring, including A matches. However, given that Messi is two years younger than Ronaldo, a reversal is possible if there are no big variables such as injuries. It is highly likely that Messi, who still maintains top-notch skills compared to Ronaldo, who is on the decline, will catch up in the near future in terms of club scoring.

Above all, Messi is still active in the European big leagues, and Ronaldo, who ended his contract with Manchester United just before the World Cup, is in favor of Messi because there is a strong rumor of a contract with Saudi Arabian club Al Nasr. If Ronaldo can no longer play for European teams, chances are high that his Champions League career goals will be overturned sooner or later. If Messi surpasses Ronaldo even in the career scoring category, he will rise to the ‘GOAT’ in name and reality.

Reporter Jeong Kwang-yong [email protected]

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