Ronaldo vs Messi at World Cup 2022: Who played better?

Carlo Garganese

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:56 CDT
• 5 min read

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi: The Last Dance.

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar almost certainly represents the final World Cup in the legendary careers of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

This was the fifth World Cup that both players have gone to, having already played at Germany 2006, South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018.

Ronaldo is now 37 and Messi 35, which means that it is highly likely that both players won’t be around for the bid between the USA, Mexico and Canada in four years’ time.

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Football lovers cherished the last chance they had to see two of the game's greatest ever players on the biggest stage.

But while it finished in tears for Ronaldo - the image of him walking alone, crying, down the tunnel after a quarter-final loss to Morocco one that will be etched in history - Messi bowed out in the most impressive way possible, scoring twice as Argentina won the final on penalties after a brilliant 3-3 draw with France.

The South American had previously gone so close in 2014 as a beaten finalist, while the best performance by Ronaldo’s Portugal was a semi-final appearance in 2006.

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But how did their performances at the 2022 World Cup compare?

Ronaldo vs Messi: World Cup 2022

Ronaldo kicked off his 2022 World Cup against Ghana by scoring a penalty to help his side to a 3-2 win and which made him the first player ever to score in five tournaments. The former Manchester United man won the spot-kick himself before Ghana equalised, however goals from Joao Felix and Rafael Leao sealed the win despite a late consolation from Portugal's opponents.

The veteran thought he had netted in Portugal's 2-0 win over Uruguay, but the goal was eventually awarded to Bruno Fernandes after it was deemed that Ronaldo had not connected with his teammate's goal-bound cross.

Ronaldo's final game in Group H was against South Korea on 2 December. He drew a blank in a 2-1 loss with Portugal already having qualified for the next round.

Messi began his World Cup campaign against Saudi Arabia on 22 November. His World Cup started perfectly as he broke the deadlock on 10 minutes from the penalty spot. He had a goal disallowed soon after and also saw a good chance saved by the Saudi Arabia goalkeeper. But then things went wrong as Saudi Arabia scored twice in quick succession at the start of the second half and then held on for a shock 2-1 victory.

Argentina bounced back from their humiliating loss, with Messi unsurprisingly being the star of the show in a 2-0 win over Mexico. The PSG forward opened the scoring in the second half before he assisted Enzo Fernandez to wrap up victory and ensure Lionel Scaloni's side are still able to qualify for the knockout stage.

Argentina qualified for the last 16 as Group C winners by beating Poland 2-0 on November 30. It was not a vintage display by Messi as he missed a first-half penalty that he had won himself. However, it didn't matter as second-half goals from Alexis MacAllister and Julian Alvarez clinched the win.

Messi bounced back with a decisive performance against Australia in the first knock-out round. Following a slow start for his Argentina side, he rolled his team into a half-time lead with a cute finish. He continued to be their most dangerous player as they ground out a 2-1 victory over the Socceroos to set up a quarter-final date against the Netherlands.

This was an impressive way to mark his 1,000th career game, in which he scored his 789th goal.

Portugal followed Argentina into the quarter-finals with a 6-1 thrashing of Switzerland, but it was a bittersweet evening on a personal level.

Ronaldo was benched while his deputy Goncalo Ramos scored a hat-trick, and although he had the next bulging minutes after entering the fray late on, his effort was ruled out for offside.

Messi inspired Argentina to quarter-final success against the Netherlands, assisting Nahuel Molina's opener before netting from the spot. Although the Dutch side scored two goals to equalise and send the game to penalties, Messi once again scored in the shootout to send his team through to the semi-finals.

Ronaldo was also benched for the quarter-final clash between Portugal and Morocco, but came on early in the second half. However, he was unable to net an equaliser as Morocco won 1-0, with Ronaldo leaving the pitch in tears and visibly distraught.

Messi then put in a sterling performance as Argentina won into the final with a 3-0 victory over Croatia, scoring a penalty before teeing up Julian Alvarez for his second and Argentina's third goal.

And so came the final. With so much expectation riding on his shoulders, Messi rose to the occasion by scoring twice and having a hand in a third as Argentina played out a stunning 3-3 draw with France - a match that they had so long dominated. In the penalty shootout, he cancelled out PSG club-mate Kylian Mbappe's opener as Lionel Scaloni's side won 4-2, thereby sealing his first World Cup.