Cristiano Ronaldo confirmed that the 2026 World Cup will be his last: How many goals separate him from Lionel Messi?

Cristiano Ronaldo officially confirmed that the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the last of his professional career.

This news, which many fans hoped would remain just a rumor, was confirmed by the captain of the Portuguese national team himself, but it also reopens the debate in the historic rivalry against Lionel Messi , which goes beyond the World Cup: who has scored more goals with their national team?

Cristiano vs. Lionel: which team scored more goals?

CR7 broke some of his fans' hearts when he confirmed to CNN that this will be his last dance in the competition to be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 2026:

" Definitely, yes. I will be 41 years old, and I think [this] will be the moment in the big competition ," Ronaldo said.

The truth is that in the 225 games Cristiano has played for Portugal, he has scored 143 goals . He became the all-time leading scorer, ahead of Pedro Miguel Carreiro Resendes, better known as ' Pauleta ' (47), and Eusébio da Silva Ferreira (41).

He scored most of his goals in the Euro Cup (41) and World Cup (41) qualifiers. He also scored another 14 in the Euro Cup.

Lionel Messi , on the other hand, has scored a total of 114 goals for Argentina in 195 games, making him the all-time leading scorer ahead of Gabriel Batistuta (54) and Sergio 'Kun' Agüero (42).

Meanwhile, the balance tips in favor of the 38-year-old Argentine captain in World Cup matches . Messi has scored 13 goals and is his country's top scorer in the competition, while Cristiano has scored a total of eight goals , although he is the only player to have scored in five different World Cups.

At 40 and 38 years old, Cristiano and Lionel are preparing for a new championship, which could be the last not only for the Portuguese player, but also for the Argentine and current world champion. For this reason, the next World Cup will not be just a tournament, it will be the beginning of the end of an era.

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