2022 FIFA World Cup

2022 FIFA World Cup: Can Messi Or Ronaldo Win The Crown Jewel Of International Football?

Published

2 years ago

November 16, 2022

2022 FIFA World Cup: Can Messi Or Ronaldo Win The Crown Jewel Of International Football?

Messi and Ronaldo are set to make their final bow on the biggest stage of football in Qatar as their futures in European club football also look to be coming to an end.

Both Ronaldo and Messi will be determined to add the only thing missing from their stellar careers: World Cup success. Having both inspired their respective national teams to continental glory (Portugal at Euro 2016; Argentina at the 2021 Copa America), both players know they’re representing teams capable of winning in Qatar if they can overcome traditional favorites like France, Brazil, and Germany.

Messi is most likely of the pair to carry his team to the latter stages of the competition on current form, as the only player to record 10 assists across Europe’s top five leagues this season. Meanwhile, only Erling Haaland (21 – 18 goals, three assists) and Neymar (20 – 11 goals, nine assists) have been directly involved in more league goals this campaign than Messi (17 – seven goals, 10 assists).

From an attacking perspective, no one across the top five European leagues has been more of a threat than Messi this season, averaging 1.2 expected goal involvements per 90 minutes from non-penalty situations: he’s getting into scoring positions and creating high-value chances.

On the other hand, Ronaldo has a minutes-per-goal rate of one every 284 minutes for Portugal in 2022, his worst rate in a calendar year since an average of 510 minutes per goal in 2009. Things aren’t rosy at the club level either, with the Portuguese labeled as an attacking hindrance to Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United side, leading to him publicly criticizing the club and manager in an explosive interview with Piers Morgan released last weekend.

Ronaldo has struggled for minutes in the Premier League this season, registering just 520 so far with a meek tally of one goal in return. He is looking desperate to prove he retains his former powers, with his non-penalty shots averaging an xG of just 0.08, his lowest on record in a league campaign.

Consequently, of the 162 players to score in the Premier League in 2022-23, only Demarai Gray (3.4%) has a worse conversion rate than Ronaldo (4.0%). But this is Ronaldo. You can’t rule him out.

He needs one goal in Qatar to become the first player in World Cup history to score in five different tournaments and overtake Brazilian legend Pelé and German pair Uwe Seeler and Miroslav Klose. With group-stage meetings with Ghana, Uruguay, and South Korea, you’d expect Ronaldo to do it despite his poor club form in 2022-23.

Can Messi or Ronaldo put the perfect seal on their careers by winning a World Cup and leave football fans with indelible memories of their greatness and longevity? The answer to those questions is a clear yes, which is a testament to their sheer quality and professionalism.

Can Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo win the crown jewel of international football (World Cup)?… Kindly share your thoughts and opinions with us in the comment box below.

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