World Cup
6th World Cup for Messi and Ronaldo. Who was more successful in the past?
The 2026 World Cup could be the 6th consecutive tournament for Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo.
In this context, let’s remember how legendary football players performed with their teams in previous world championships.
Lionel Messi: 5 World Cups, 13 goals, 8 assists, 2 Ballon d’Or, 2022 World Champion
- 2006 – semi-final
- 2010 – quarter final
- 2014 – final
- 2018 – 1/8 finals
- 2022 – winner
Cristiano Ronaldo: 5 World Cups, 8 goals, 2 assists
- 2006 – semi-final
- 2010 – 1/8 finals
- 2014 – group stage
- 2018 – 1/8 finals
- 2022 – quarter final
📊 Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi-FIFA World Cup Statistics
🇵🇹Cristiano Ronaldo
🏟️ 5 FIFA World Cups
⚽️ 8 goals
🎯 2 assists🇦🇷Lionel Messi
🏟️ 5 FIFA World Cups
⚽️ 13 goals
🎯 8 assists
🏅 2 Golden Balls
🏆FIFA World Cup Champion🐐 One last dance for the GOATS! pic.twitter.com/tdgJ7aeA0u
— FIFA World Cup Statistics (@alimo_philip) December 5, 2025
Source: Sport UA
I am a writer at Sportish, where I mainly cover sports news. I’ve also written for The Guardian and ESPN Brasil, and my work has been featured on NBC Sports, SI.com and more. Before working in journalism, I was an athlete: I played football for Colgate University and competed in the US Open Cross Country Championships.