Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have created one of the greatest competitions in football since they met in LaLiga with Real Madrid and Barcelona, creating division among fans as to who is the greatest of all time. However, both players have established themselves at the top with titles, records and goals.

However, the Portuguese has spoken about the debate between him and the Argentine in an interview with Piers Morgan, stating that it is not fair to measure the greatness of a player by having won a World Cup, since in his opinion he considers that the historical context of each country makes a clear difference.

How many World Cups did Argentina win before Messi? Two times, I think. It's normal. These countries are used to winning big competitions. If Brazil wins the World Cup, will it surprise the world? No. But if Portugal wins the World Cup, it would surprise the world

Cristiano Ronaldo was also clear that his greatest pride in his career was having changed history for his national team, which had not won any international titles until Euro 2016, when they defeated France 1-0. The Portuguese has the desire to win a World Cup in what may be his last opportunity, but he also clarified that if he does not succeed, it will not define his career:

When you compete, you want to win. But I'm honest: I'm not going to change the way I see things. For me, that doesn't define who I am as a player.

The eternal debate with Lionel Messi: "You can't define a player by a single tournament"

Lionel Messi managed to become world champion in Qatar 2022, a feat that had already been denied to him when they lost in 2014 against Germany, but according to CR7, a football career cannot be judged by six or seven games:

Changing the history of Portugal by saying that 'Cristiano needs to win the World Cup to save his career'... No. I won three titles with my national team. Before that, Portugal had never won anything. I'm happy, very happy, but that shouldn't define you as a player

Currently, the Portuguese national team is very close to qualifying for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, with Cristiano as its main reference, while Messi and Argentina already have their ticket secured. This could be the last World Cup in which they face each other, and at national team level it is the only way they can face each other

Lionel Messi recently described winning the World Cup as one of the most important achievements of his career, even comparing that happiness to the birth of his children. There is no doubt that both footballers have been decisive for their teams and national teams. The Argentine gave his country the joy of winning a World Cup again since 1986 and Portugal won the European Championship in 2016, proving that they are among the best footballers on the planet.