World Cup 2026: Messi vs. Ronaldo Props Odds & Picks

Messi and Ronaldo are two of the most decorated soccer stars in the history of the sport, with their storied rivalry shaping the narrative of soccer for much of the last 25 years. Both stars have enjoyed memorable highs during their heights, with Messi’s biggest moment arguably coming four years ago when winning the World Cup for the first time.

Their storied rivalry began in 2008, when Ronaldo’s Man United knocked out Messi’s Barcelona in the Champions League. However, Messi would later gain revenge with the Spanish club beating the English champions in the 2009 Champions League final.

Their rivalry would encapsulate soccer from the summer of 2009 following Ronaldo’s record-breaking move to Real Madrid. While Messi would dominate La Liga, the Portuguese would break new ground in the Champions League, leading Los Blancos to a period of dominance with four European Cups in five seasons.

Fascinatingly, in head-to-head matches, both stars have scored 23 goals across the 37 meetings. However, they have only twice coming up against each other in an international fixture. That could change this summer, as Portugal and Argentina could collide in the quarterfinals.

We fully expect Portugal to go deeper in the competition, meaning that Ronaldo could be the standout bet to score more goals than Messi at the World Cup.