Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo: Battle of G.O.A.T.S

Two of the greatest footballers of the modern era to have graced the beautiful game are set to renew their rivalry in the Champions League when Barcelona post the old lady on Tuesday at Camp Nou.

Both the players will be up against each other for the 36th time. We have excluded last month's reverse fixture due to Cristiano Ronaldo testing positive for coronavirus, while Lionel Messi was rested by the ex-Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman.

Both the teams do not possess any pressure as both are guaranteed to advance from Group G however it is one of the most awaited Battles across the globe and the states would be high as two of the greatest players of the modern era battle for the top spot and potentially an easier draw in the round of 16 of the Champions League.

Messi vs Ronaldo: Head to Head Record

When we compare the past results when both of them have been on the page together playing against each other Messi has been on the losing end only once in his last five Champions League meetings with Ronaldo.

If a head-to-head Battle For Gold code was found out Messi leads again as he has scored three times when Ronaldo is in the opposition, the first of which was a fantabulous header in the Barcelona Champions League victory against Cristiano Ronaldo vs Manchester United in May 2009.

The next to work from the same game as Messi scored ending dress in the semi-final just two years after Ronaldo's Manchester United and eliminated Real Madrid from the competition.

In 35 clashes in all competitions for both club and country, Ronaldo has managed to score 90 in gold and setup 1 wild Messi has fire 22 gold supplying 12 assist Messi also has the advantage for the lead with 16 wins and 9 draws.

When we talk about trophies, Lionel Messi leads again with 36 major honors to his name, including an Olympic Games gold medal and U-20 World Cup with Argentina.

The Portuguese falls four short with 32 trophies. However, he has two silverware at senior International level which is still a dream for the Argentine. 

Messi has lost four major finals with his nation, while Ronaldo was an instrumental part in Portugal's 2016 Euros and Nations League finals triumphs.

While Messi is not far behind Ronaldo in terms of overall goals, it shows how clinical Messi has been over the past decade or so. 

However, what people don't realize is that during his time at Real Madrid, his goal per game ratio was better than Lionel Messi, proving how dominant he was in the La Liga despite Messi's 90 goal season.

The other place Ronaldo edges the Argentine is in the Champions League. Cristiano Ronaldo is hailed as the king of UCL, while the Champions League sometimes is also referred to as 'The Cristiano Ronaldo League'.

Ronaldo has over 40 goals in the knockout stages, at least 12-15 ahead of the second player. The match at Camp Nou holds immense significance only because it may be the last time these two legends of the game play each other. 

Hopefully, neither of them will start on the bench and the globe will witness one of the most cherishable moments in the history of the sport.