Messi and Ronaldo have both won international trophies with their respective nations
Football fans worldwide have been obsessed with the topic of who is better—the Portuguese phenomenon, Cristiano Ronaldo or the empyrean Argentine, Lionel Messi—for the past ten years and will likely continue to do so.
People’s perceptions of players are influenced by their personalities and club and country allegiances, which can distort their assessment. Most people are aware of who they would choose.
So, who is the best of all time, in reality? Both have achieved a lot during their club career, but with national teams, both stars never won anything until 2016. Ronaldo finally took A Selecao to national glory, while for Mess,i it took time and patience before he helped them clinch the Copa America in 2021. So, below we look at which player has won the most trophies.
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: Who has the most international trophies?
When Ronaldo won the Euro 2016, it looked like the former Real Madrid had finally ended the international curse of not winning a major trophy with Portugal, while Messi during the same year lost the Copa America 2016.
He further cemented his legacy in international tournaments when he won the Nations League with Selecao, putting pressure on his adversary to achieve something with the national team.
Messi’s International career has been filled with highs and lows, from retirement to coming back to the national team and then winning the 2021 Copa America, the Finalissima and later the most coveted trophy of football FIFA World Cup.
In terms of World Cups, neither had prevailed until Argentina did so in 2022 after a succession of outstanding performances by Messi.
Before the 2022 World Cup, Portugal’s great Ronaldo had more goals and fewer games in his career. However, Messi turned things around in Qatar, helping his nation win the championship with an incredible seven goals and three assists.
The Selecao’s passage to the semi-final in 2006, when they were defeated by France and lost the third-place play-off against Germany, was the furthest Ronaldo has gone with Portugal.
Also Read: Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi All-time goals, stats, trophies, Ballon d’Or comparison
Cristiano Ronaldo
Euro: 1
FIFA World Cup: 0
UEFA Nations League: 2
Finalissima: 0
Olympics: 0
Total Trophies: 2
Lionel Messi
FIFA World Cup: 1
Copa America: 2
Finalissima: 1
Olympics Gold Medal: 1
Total Trophies: 4
Messi currently leads Ronaldo on the trophy front, both in club football and international football. While, Ronaldo leads on the goalscoring front both in club and international football.
*Last updated on 9 June 2025.
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