By Nestor Watach | Planet Football
The year 2026 might just be the last dance for the rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, with the World Cup now upon us – and one of them is approaching the tournament in far better form.
Which of the two era-defining icons is performing better at this veteran stage of their careers?
Messi has continued to lift silverware after leaving European football back in 2023. He hasn’t confirmed that he’ll be captaining Argentina at the 2026 World Cup, but it appears likely it’ll be his last major tournament.
Trophies haven’t been quite as forthcoming for Ronaldo since he joined Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Nassr, although he’s just won the Saudi Pro League for the first time.
He’s continued to score goals and now has his ambition of reaching a thousand in his grasp.
After Portugal’s shock defeat to Morocco in Qatar, the 2026 tournament in North America surely represents the 41-year-old’s last chance to get his hands on the one major honour that’s always evaded him.
Messi and Ronaldo have been at every World Cup going back to the 2006 tournament in Germany and are set to become the first players in football history to appear at six editions of FIFA’s flagship tournament.
Messi didn’t get started until February. The MLS schedule is more like the calendar year, meaning that he started 2026 with a well-earned rest after his talismanic role in Inter Miami’s 2025 MLS Cup triumph.
Inter Miami didn’t make an especially convincing start to the new season, though. Messi’s old pals Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets retired at the end of last season, while Javier Mascherano left his post as manager amid question marks over making this new-look team work.
Notably, Messi didn’t register a single assist in his first 13 appearances of 2026. But he continues to score goals.
Recent weeks, though, have seen Messi look like his old self. The 38-year-old is approaching the World Cup in inspired form. He both scored and assisted in each of his last four outings for Inter Miami and continually proves to be their difference-making match-winner.
Here’s a detailed breakdown of how Messi and Ronaldo’s stats compare in 2026 so far:
Lionel Messi
Games: 18
Goals: 14
Assists: 7⭐
Goal contributions: 21 ⭐
Penalties: 1
Free-kicks: 2 ⭐
Minutes per goal: 112 ⭐
Minutes per goal or assist: 74 ⭐
Cristiano Ronaldo
Games: 23 ⭐
Goals: 16
Assists: 1
Goal contributions: 17 ⭐
Penalties: 3 ⭐
Free-kicks: 0
Minutes per goal: 119
Minutes per goal or assist: 112
