Ronaldo’s 10 goals in 6 World Cups, Messi scores 11 in last 7 matches

The comparison of Messi vs. Ronaldo is not new in the history of football. But one number in the 2026 World Cup has taken that comparison to a whole new level.

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored a total of 10 goals in six World Cups. It took him 20 years to score these 10 goals. In this long journey from 2006 to 2026, he scored against Spain, Ghana, Uzbekistan, Iran, North Korea and Morocco.

And Messi? He has scored 13 goals in the last seven consecutive World Cup matches alone. That is, Messi has scored three more goals than Ronaldo has scored in his entire career in just seven matches.

Messi has set a completely new record by scoring in seven consecutive matches in this World Cup. No one else has been able to do this in the history of the World Cup. In achieving this feat, he surpassed France's Just Fontaine and Brazil's Jairzinho.

Messi's total goals in the World Cup are now 19. 1 in 2006, zero in 2010, 4 in 2014, 1 in 2018, 7 in 2022 and 6 so far in this 2026 World Cup.

Messi is now the all-time leading scorer in the World Cup for both men and women. Ronaldo is far behind in this list.

Both have played in six World Cups each. But the numbers have now reached such a large gap that the comparison has become practically one-sided.