Even in a few years’ time, you suspect the tedious comparisons between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will still be going strong. For now, here’s another one that is sure to grate on the Portuguese superstar.

Messi is expected to become the first player in FIFA World Cup history to appear in six tournaments when Argentina take on Algeria in Kansas City on Monday. Ronaldo will join that club almost immediately, with Portugal opening its campaign against DR Congo in Houston on Tuesday.

With Argentina in Group J and Portugal in Group K, the scheduling has done Ronaldo dirty. You suspect Messi is less bothered.

Messi wins the race to six World Cups... just

Both players made their World Cup debuts at the 2006 tournament in Germany. Messi, then 18, started one game and made two substitute appearances, scoring his first World Cup goal against Serbia in the group stage.

Ronaldo, 21 at the time, started six of Portugal’s seven matches, including the third-place playoff. He was rested for the final group-stage game, with Portugal already through to the round of 16. The then Manchester United winger also scored once, finding the net against Iran in the team’s second group match.

Since then, Messi and Ronaldo have been the focal points of their respective national teams at the 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022 World Cups.

Messi still has another record in sight

The Argentine, of course, finally got his hands on the World Cup trophy in Qatar in 2022. He also won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player and scored seven goals, taking his overall World Cup tally to 13 in 26 appearances.

Three more goals this summer would see him draw level with Germany’s Miroslav Klose, the all-time leading World Cup scorer with 16.

Ronaldo has scored eight goals in 22 World Cup appearances, a scoring rate of 0.36 goals per game, well below his career average.

Ahead of Portugal’s 2026 campaign getting underway, though, there is still time for that to change, and for Ronaldo to get the next laugh in his never-ending rivalry with Messi.

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