Who has More Golden Balls, Messi or Ronaldo?


There are six individual awards given out at the end of every World Cup tournament. While all six are important, there are two awards that stand out above the others. These are the Golden boot (awarded to the player at the World Cup that scored the most goals) and the Golden Ball (awarded to the outstanding player of that World Cup). Each has been awarded since 1982 and the Golden Ball, especially, is something that every player can aim to win.

Who has more Golden Balls, Messi or Ronaldo? People have been trying to decide who the better player is between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi for over a decade. When it comes to the World Cup we can contribute to that debate empirically via the Golden Ball. Messi is the clear winner here as he won the Golden Ball at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Ronaldo, on the other hand, has never even finished in the Silver Ball or Bronze Ball positions.

With the 2022 World Cup in Qatar just around the corner, here is a look at how Messi and Ronaldo have performed in World Cups to date.

Lionel Messi

It seems only fair to start with Messi here as he is the only one to claim the Golden Ball trophy out of himself and Ronaldo. In the opinions of many people, both pundits and the general public, Argentia has underwhelmed on the world stage since the early 1990s. This includes much of Messi’s run with the team, with squads including the likes of Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez, and Angel di Maria never quite finding the right balance to win the games that matter at the World Cup. You can actually see that play out (for the most part) by looking at Messi’s World Cup history.

  • 2006 (Quarter-final loss to Germany on penalties) – Messi was just 18 at the time of this tournament and had only made his full international debut a year earlier. Messi almost didn’t make the plane at all, with a hamstring injury forcing him to sit out the group opener against Ivory Coast. He became the sixth youngest goal scorer in World Cup history when netting against Serbia & Montenegro after coming on as a second-half substitute. Messi did not feature in the quarter-final defeat to Germany in a move that helped cost coach Jose Pekerman his job.
  • 2010 (4-0 quarter-finals loss to Germany) – Messi was fully established in the Argentine set up by the 2010 World Cup. The country was one of the favorites to lift the trophy despite a poor qualifying campaign that had shown cracks in their team spirit and style of play. His performance in their 4-1 group stage win over South Korea when he was involved in all four goals was prime Barca Messi at his best. A humbling 4-0 defeat to Germany led to much criticism of Messi back home. Fans turned on their playmaker (even though he was named as one of the top 10 players in the tournament) as they claimed he only performed for Barcelona.
  • 2014 ( Lost in the final 1-0 to Germany in extra time) – In 2014, Messi proved to the world he was the best player on the planet. Despite poor form leading into the Brazil World Cup Messi turned it on in the finals. He scored four goals in seven games and was elected Man of the Match in Argentina’s first four matches. He was the tournament’s third top scorer, made the most through balls, and created the most chances of any player for his teammates. Even still, Messi was criticized for his lack of goals in the later rounds.
  • 2018 (Lost 4-3 to France in the Round of 16) – Messi carried a knock into this tournament and his one goal from four matches output saw Argentina crash out in a stunning game against France in the Round of 16. A group stage defeat by Croatia saw them finish second to play the French, but at least Messi scored in the tournament to become the first player to score a World Cup goal in his teens, 20s, and 30s.

It is probably safe to say from this list of tournament results that Messi doesn’t hold a particularly high affinity for playing against Germany. It is also worth noting that as great as Messi is, and as dominant as he has been in big games in the Champions League, he has never scored a World Cup goal after the Round of 16.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal, like Argentina, could be seen as being a general underachiever at the World Cup level. While Cristiano Ronaldo does have a European Championship winner’s medal from 2016, their World Cup form is not great. That extended to this year when they had to beat North Macedonia in a playoff to even reach Qatar.

  • 2006 (1-0 semi-final defeat by France) – Ronaldo’s first World Cup was also the one where his country made the most noise. He scored a penalty against Iran in their second group stage game to become Portugal’s youngest ever goalscorer at a World Cup. He was just 21 years and 132 days old. Ronaldo cemented his villain status in England (to all except for Manchester United fans) by scoring the winning penalty against the Three Lions in a quarter-final shootout after club teammate Wayne Rooney was sent off, with Ronaldo’s complaints to the referee potentially influencing the decision. Ronaldo was not chosen as FIFA Young Player of the Tournament, losing to Germany’s Lukas Podolski. Part of the criteria for the award snub was Ronaldo’s behavior.
  • 2010 (Lost 1-0 to Spain in the Round of 16) – Portugal sneaked into the 2020 tournament without Ronaldo scoring a single goal in qualifying thanks to a playoff win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. He played well in the group stage matches, being named Man of the Match in all three contests including against Brazil. His only goal was in the 7-0 thrashing of North Korea before Portugal ran into a Spain team that some will argue is the best international team of all time in the Round of 16.
  • 2014 (Failed to get out of a group with Germany, USA, and Ghana) – Ronaldo’s most ineffective World Cup was in 2014. He scored eight goals for Portugal in qualifying but arrived at the tournament with patellar tendonitis and a thigh injury. The 2014 World Cup was a sobering one for Ronaldo and Portugal. A 4-0 defeat in the opener to eventual Champions Germany seemed to stun them as they could only muster a 2-2 draw with the USA in their second match. Ronaldo scored his only goal of the tournament in the final group game against Ghana as they crashed out.
  • 2018 (Lost 2-1 in Round of 16 to Uruguay) – Ronaldo’s best World Cup in terms of goals scored saw him bag four in four games. Three of those came in the opener as Portugal took part in an entertaining 3-3 draft with Iberian neighbors Spain. Ronaldo also found the net in game two against Morocco, but he was unable to continue his form. A 1-1 draw with Iran saw Portugal finish behind Spain in the group. Ronaldo missed a penalty in the match and couldn’t inspire Portugal to a win against Uruguay as they went down in the Round of 16. He was, however, named to the World Cup Dream team despite only p[laying in four games.

It is safe to say that Messi not only has won the most Golden Balls but also has a better World Cup resume for his team.

James

I started watching football in the early 90s and was hooked. I fell in love with Chelsea and have supported them ever since. I have also written a book on Corporate Governance and Firm Performance in England and Scottish football.

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