The prediction about Lionel Messi's retirement that would leave him behind Cristiano Ronaldo

 

Comparisons between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are inevitable. Both players marked an era and were rivals when they played for Barcelona and Real Madrid, respectively. Now, as they are closer to retirement and in different leagues, there is speculation about the records they can achieve and who will retire first.

Cristiano Ronaldo recently turned 41 years old and although his age would indicate that retirement is near, the Portuguese shows that he is in excellent shape and will not stop until he reaches 1,000 goals, a figure in which he is ahead of Messi and seems to be the new dispute between them.

The dispute between Messi and Cristiano for a new football record

After a brief period of tension marked by a strike in protest at the management of the Public Investment Fund (PIF) at Al-Nassr, Ronaldo has returned to the field with his sights set. On his recent return to action, the Portuguese star reached the figure of 962 official goals after scoring in the 2-0 victory over Al-Fateh.

Lionel Messi, 38, is still proving his worth in the United States after being crowned MLS Golden Boot winner in 2025 with 29 goals. However, the gap in goalscoring and the evolution of his role on the field presents a more complex picture, where he has 896 goals in his career, 66 goals behind Ronaldo.

Projections indicate that Messi would need to maintain an average of 36 goals per year over the next three seasons to reach 1,000, which seems unlikely, as Leo is not so obsessed with this record and also, he is having more of an assist role than a goal scorer in his last years of his career.

Leo Messi "builds" his own World Cup

While CR7 returns to the field and continues in search of 1,000 goals, Messi is recovering from an injury and had to put Inter Miami's tour on hold. While the Argentine takes a break, he takes advantage of the time with his family to have fun building a Lego World Cup.