Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have redefined soccer and left an indelible mark on every team they’ve played for, and they continue to dazzle at Al Nassr and Inter Miami, respectively, as well as on their national teams.
Both lead the all-time international scoring charts, with the Portuguese player ahead of the Argentine, having scored 965 and 901 goals, respectively. But there are national teams that have suffered more at their hands than others.
Messi and CR7’s favorite victims
Although their contexts differ -with Lionel facing mostly South American teams and Cristiano facing European ones- they share one thing in common: both have scored over a hundred goals for Argentina and Portugal and possess an extraordinary scoring consistency against certain rivals.
Leo has already scored 114 goals for the Albiceleste, while CR7 has scored 143 for Portugal, but several of their goals have found the back of the net against certain national teams that they seem to have punished the most with their scoring.
In the case of the Argentine captain, Bolivia is the team that has conceded the most goals, with a total of 11 from the ‘No. 10.’ Ecuador comes in second with 8, followed by Uruguay with 6. Next are Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Venezuela, and Estonia, with 5 each.
These teams, almost all from CONMEBOL, were the ones that suffered the most at Lionel’s hands, especially in World Cup qualifiers and regional tournaments.
For his part, the 41-year-old Portuguese star has tormented Luxembourg with 11 goals, just as Leo has done to Bolivia. Hungary comes in second with 9, followed by Lithuania and Sweden with 7, while Andorra and Armenia have suffered at the hands of CR7 with 6.
Meanwhile, these figures reflect not only talent but also longevity and consistency. Of course, at the club level, other teams have felt the lethality of their goals, though both share a common victim: Sevilla. Leo scored 38 goals against them, while Cristiano scored 27.
Their numbers, spread across different national teams and tournaments, fuel a rivalry that will continue to be a topic of debate even after their retirements.
Cristiano and Lionel’s World Cup
Looking ahead to the 2026 World Cup, to be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada from June 11 to July 19, both are preparing for their sixth appearance in the tournament, making them the only players in history to have made this many appearances.
Portugal will face Colombia, Uzbekistan, and the winner of the intercontinental playoff between Jamaica, Congo, and New Caledonia in Group K. On Wednesday, June 17, Portugal will play its first match against the winner of the intercontinental playoff. On Tuesday, June 23, they will face Uzbekistan, and on Saturday, June 27, they will face Colombia.
For its part, Argentina will arrive as the defending champion and will have to defend its title. In Group J, it will face Algeria on Tuesday, June 16, at Kansas City Stadium. Then, at Dallas Stadium, it will play against Austria on Monday, June 22, and against Jordan on Saturday, June 27.
Prior to that, Messi’s Albiceleste will play friendlies on a FIFA double-header on March 27 against Mauritania and on the 31st against Zambia. Both matches will be held at La Bombonera Stadium.
Meanwhile, everything was set for Portugal’s captain to play against Mexico on March 28 at Banorte Stadium and against the USMNT on March 31 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, but a hamstring injury intervened, and he will not travel with the team.
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