Messi vs Ronaldo: Which Player is Greatest of All Time?
Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo have helped shape world soccer by performing at ridiculously high levels for the better part of twenty years. Broken records and crazy stats are the flavor of the day for both international superstars – but how can we tell which player is Greatest of All Time (GOAT)?
Key takeaways
- Messi surpasses Ronaldo in online popularity in 84% of the countries (125 out of 149).
- Messi surpasses Ronaldo in global search volume: 10,2 million vs 4,6 million.
- Internet users search Messi’s name the most in both Argentina and Portugal.
To settle the GOAT debate, The Casino Wizard analyzed 149 countries in Ahrefs to see which player every country is searching for. You’re going to be surprised by some of the results.
The World Decided: Messi is the GOAT
As far as search results are concerned, our research shows that Messi comes out on top. The Argentine genius is the most searched soccer player by far.
Out of 149 countries, Messi’s name is searched more than Ronaldo’s in 125 countries, whilst Ronaldo’s name is searched more than Messi’s in 22 countries. The search volumes are tied in the two remaining countries.
Popularity Breakdown per Continent
Here’s a breakdown of the stats:
Continent | Messi | Ronaldo | Messi | Ronaldo |
Europe | 2.508.350 | 1.697.020 | 30 | 12 |
North America | 2.041.530 | 604.630 | 18 | 0 |
South America | 2.236.100 | 126.100 | 12 | 0 |
Middle East & Central Asia | 721.600 | 686.000 | 12 | 3 |
Africa | 731.100 | 310.050 | 34 | 2 |
Rest of Asia & Oceania | 1.972.800 | 1.165.200 | 19 | 5 |
WORLD | 10.211.480 | 4.589.000 | 125 | 22 |
Messi is more popular than Ronaldo in 125 of all countries researched
As a key stat, with a total search volume of 10,2 million, Messi surpasses by more than twice Cristiano’s 4.6 million searches across the globe. This is one of our research’s most surprising results, as it offers a solid statement as to which of the two players is the most popular, and, most importantly, by how much.
Popularity Breakdown per Country
Here’s the breakdown of the stats per country:
National Stats
People search Messi’s name the most in both Argentina and Portugal, meaning that Messi is more popular (55% of searches) than Ronaldo (45%) even in his home nation. In Argentina, Messi’s home country, 96% of the search volume goes to their national hero.
Popularity in Countries Played
We can find a similar trend in the countries where Cristiano has played over the years. Ronaldo may have played in the Premier League and the Saudi Pro League, but Messi’s name is still searched the most in the UK and in Saudi Arabia. The difference is even bigger in the countries where Messi has played. In Spain, a whopping 89% of the search volume favors Messi.
Conclusion
With the information that we have at hand, it’s clear that Messi is the most popular player on the planet. His name is searched more than twice as much as Cristiano’s, and he’s the most popular player in 125 out of 149 researched countries. When looking at the numbers, the conclusion seems like a certain one.
This research purely focuses on the popularity of each player. If we consider that having their names searched the most equates to people being more interested in one player or the other, then the conclusion is clear: Messi is the GOAT.
