WDeciding who is the best soccer player of all time is difficult and unlikely to reach a consensus, but there is no doubt that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are part of the discussion.
Both have impressive sporting achievements, leading the way in total goal contributions this century across their club and national team careers, but who else is on the list?
Messi shines and gives his all in warm-up before Inter Miami CF vs. Cincinnati match
Leo, CR7 and the legacy of both stars
According to Transfermarkt, Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record for contributing 1,254 goals in 1,293 games, despite being 46 goals away from reaching 1,000 goals (954 goals). All these contributions at Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, Al Nasr and the Portuguese national team made him the second player to have contributed the most goals.
Lionel Messi leads the league with a total of 1,339 goals in 1,135 games, but recent reports claim he has scored around 1,300 goals during his time at Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami, adding to his achievements with the Argentina national team.
Inter Miami teammate Luis Surez is third with 888 contributions in 977 games, while Robert Lewandowski is fourth with 877 contributions in 967 games. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who retired in 2023 at the age of 41 after leading Milan to their 19th Scudetto, remains in fifth place with 783 goals in 941 games.
Neymar Jr. (732 points), Karim Benzema (721 points), Thomas Muller (645 points), Edin Deco (625 points) and Harry Kane (595 points) are the top 10 players with the most goal contributions this century.
Meanwhile, Al Nasr is scheduled to win 4-0 against FC Istiklol Dushanbe in matchday 5 of the AFC Cup group stage on Wednesday, November 26th, but CR7 did not participate. The club’s next opponent will be against Al Najma SC on December 21st.
Leo and Inter Miami will host New York City FC in the conference finals on Saturday, November 29th at 6pm ET. Will he continue to improve his record?
