Now that the 2022 FIFA World Cup has been done and dusted, discussion now heads to the greatest of all time rankings. Is Lionel Messi finally the GOAT? Is the debate over?
The answer to both questions is yes and no. Let us explain why.
For some perspective, let us go through some numbers of GOATs past, present, and future. Not in any particular order, here they are:
Pelé (Brazil)
International
- 3x champion, FIFA World Cup
- 1x runner up, Campeonato Sudamericano de Futbol
- 12 FIFA World Cup goals
- 77 goals, 92 appearances
Club
- 2x champion, Copa Libertadores, Santos
- 6x champion, Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, Santos
- 1x champion, North American Soccer League, New York Cosmos
- 680 goals, 704 matches
Awards
- FIFA Player of the Century (shared with Diego Maradona)
- Football Player of the Century (shared with Diego Maradona)
- 1970 FIFA World Cup Golden Ball
- 1958 FIFA World Cup Silver Ball
- 1958 FIFA World Cup Best Young Player
- 7x Ballon d’Or winner (Le nouveau palmarès)
- 1959 Campeonato Sudamericano de Futbol Best Player
- 1959 Campeonato Sudamericano de Futbol Top Scorer
- 1965 Copa Libertadores Top Scorer
- 3x Campeonato Brasileiro Série A Top Scorer
- 1x North American Soccer League MVP
- 3x North American Soccer League All-Star team
- New York Cosmos retired jersey number 10
- American National Soccer Hall of Fame
- 1984 FIFA Order of Merit
- 2000 Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award
- 2013 FIFA Ballon d’Or Prix d’Honneu
- Athlete of the Century, International Olympic Committee
- Athlete of the Century, Reuters News Agency
- World Player of the Century, International Federation of Football History & Statistics
Records
- Most goals for Brazil (77, tied with Neymar)
- Highest goals-per-game ratio among South American players (0.84)
- Most goals for Santos (643)
- Youngest FIFA World Cup champion and youngest to score in a FIFA World Cup final (17 years and 249 days)
- Youngest to score a hat-trick at the FIFA World Cup (17 years and 244 days)
- Youngest FIFA World Cup goalscorer (17 years and 239 days)
- One of five players to score in four different FIFA World Cup tournaments
- One of five players to score in two different FIFA World Cup final matches
- Only player to score 25 international goals as a teenager
- Only player to score at the FIFA World Cup before turning 18 years old
Diego Maradona (Argentina)
International
- 1x champion, FIFA World Cup
- 1x runner up, FIFA World Cup
- 1x third place, Copa América
- 8 FIFA World Cup goals
- 34 goals, 91 appearances
Club
- 1x champion, UEFA Cup, Napoli
- 2x champion, Italian Serie A, Napoli
- 1x champion, Argentine Primera División, Boca Juniors
- 1x champion, Copa del Rey, Barcelona
- 1x champion, Coppa Italia, Napoli
- 1x champion, Supercopa de España, Barcelona
- 1x champion, Supercoppa Italiana, Napoli
- 310 goals, 589 matches
Awards
- FIFA Player of the Century (shared with Pelé)
- Football Player of the Century (shared with Pelé)
- 2x Ballon d’Or winner (Le nouveau palmarès)
- 1986 FIFA World Cup Golden Ball
- 1986 FIFA World Cup Silver Shoe
- 1990 FIFA World Cup Bronze Ball
- 5x Argentine Primera División Top Scorer
- 1x Capocannoniere
- 1995 FIFA Ballon d’Or Prix d’Honneu
- FIFA Goal of the Century
- Napoli retired jersey number 10
- Italian Football Hall of Fame
Lionel Messi (Argentina)
International
- 1x champion, FIFA World Cup
- 1x runner up, FIFA World Cup
- 1x champion, Copa América
- 3x runner up, Copa América
- 1x third place, Copa América
- 1x gold medal, Summer Olympics
- 13 FIFA World Cup goals
- 98 goals, 172 appearances
Club
- 3x champion, FIFA Club World Cup, Barcelona
- 4x champion, UEFA Champions League, Barcelona
- 3x champion, UEFA Super Cup, Barcelona
- 10x champion, LaLiga, Barcelona
- 1x champion, Ligue 1, Paris Saint-Germain
- 7x champion, Copa del Rey, Barcelona
- 7x champion, Supercopa de España
- 1x champion, Trophée des Champions, Paris Saint-Germain
- 706 goals, 863 matches
Awards
- 7x Ballon d’Or winner
- 2014 FIFA World Cup Golden Ball
- 2022 FIFA World Cup Golden Ball
- 2022 FIFA World Cup Silver Boot
- 2x FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball
- 6x LaLiga Best Player
- 8x Pichichi Trophy
- 2020 Laureus World Sportsman of the Year
Here are some of Messi’s records. Note that these are just related to the FIFA World Cup. One of the records he holds in the club level is being Barcelona’s all-time goalscorer (672).
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
International
- 1x champion, UEFA EURO
- 1x runner up, UEFA EURO
- 1x third place, UEFA EURO
- 1x champion, UEFA Nations League
- 8 FIFA World Cup goals
- 118 goals, 196 appearances
Club
- 3x champion, FIFA Club World Cup, Real Madrid
- 1x champion, FIFA Club World Cup, Manchester United
- 4x champion, UEFA Champions League, Real Madrid
- 1x champion, UEFA Champions League, Manchester United
- 2x champion, UEFA Super Cup, Real Madrid
- 3x champion, English Premier League, Manchester United
- 2x champion, LaLiga, Real Madrid
- 2x champion, Italian Serie A, Juventus
- 2x champion, Copa del Rey, Real Madrid
- 1x champion, FA Cup, Manchester United
- 1x champion, Coppa Italia, Juventus
- 2x champion, Supercopa de España, Real Madrid
- 2x champion, Supercoppa Italiana, Juventus
- 1x champion, FA Community Shield, Manchester United
- 1x champion, Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, Sporting
- 701 goals, 951 matches
Awards
- 5x Ballon d’Or winner
- 2x The Best FIFA Men’s Player
- 2x English Premier League Player of the Season
- 2x Italian Serie A Football of the Year
- 1x LaLiga Best Player
- 3x Pichichi Trophy
- 1x English Premier League Golden Boot
- 1x Capocannoniere
- The Best FIFA Special Award for Outstanding Career Achievement
Records
- Most FIFA World Cup tournaments scored in (5)
- Most FIFA World Cup appearances for Portugal (22)
- One of five players to score in four different FIFA World Cup tournaments
Kylian Mbappé (France)
International
- 1x champion, FIFA World Cup
- 1x runner up, FIFA World Cup
- 1x champion, UEFA Nations League
- 12 FIFA World Cup goals
- 36 goals, 66 appearances
Club
- 4x champion, Ligue 1, Paris Saint-Germain
- 1x champion, Ligue 1, Monaco
- 3x champion, Coup de France, Paris Saint-Germain
- 2x champion, Trophée des Champions, Paris Saint-Germain
- 190 goals, 309 matches
Awards
- 2022 FIFA World Cup Silver Ball
- 2022 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot
- 2018 FIFA World Cup Young Player Award
- 2018 FIFA World Cup Dream Team
- 2021 UEFA Nations League Golden Boot
- 4x UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season
- 3x UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Year
- 3x UNFP Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year
- 3x UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year
- 4x Ligue 1 Top Goalscorer
Records
- Most goals scored in FIFA World Cup final matches (4)
- One of five players to score in two different FIFA World Cup final matches
- One of two players to score a hat-trick in a FIFA World Cup final
We could have added the likes of Johan Cruyff, Eusébio, Lothar Matthäus, and many more, but this article would never end with the number of accolades these greats have compiled in their wonderful and illustrious careers. That is why we stuck with the most recognizable names, two of which share the distinction of being the declared as the player of the century in the 1900s, both by FIFA and Football France.
That said, it might be unfair for the likes of Messi, Ronaldo, and Mbappé, as the current century is only a fifth done and we are still far away from giving away player and team of the century awards for the 2000s. However, we just want to point out how much influence the legacy of both Pelé and Maradona had to the sport.
Also note that the above distinctions and statistics are not extensive. We have already omitted a lot for brevity. Nevertheless, what we enumerated could pretty much give a clear picture of where each player stands in the GOAT totem pole.
Is there a GOAT?
Yes, there is. For us, it is Pelé. To others, it is Maradona.
Those who witnessed history happen on 18 December would have pegged Messi as the current GOAT. On the other hand, Ronaldo has gone down several pegs after his and Portugal’s dismal performance. Meanwhile, some are now addressing Mbappé as the GOAT-inherent or GOAT-in-waiting.
Having a GOAT ranking actually makes the title a misnomer. How can there be one great when there are many of them?
This is not only apparent in football but in other sports with rich histories as well. In basketball, the discussion is centered around Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. This is not counting hoopsters who made their name outside of the NBA, such as Oscar Schmidt, Andrew Gaze, and Arvydas Sabonis.
In boxing, is Muhammad Ali still the GOAT? How about Manny Pacquiao and his record championships in eight divisions? Or Floyd Mayweather, Jr, the only other boxer to retire a champ and undefeated aside from Rocky Marciano? Joe Louis, the holder of the longest single reign as champion, should he be considered?
Is Messi the GOAT?
As much as some would like to say the discussion is over, Messi’s achievement just made it a three-headed battle among him, Pelé, and Maradona. We would even make it controversial that is now down to between “La Pulga” and the Brazilian legend.
Why all this dawdling? Because if we are going to be objective about it, removing recency bias and discarding ‘all-time’ and ‘best of the century’ recognitions, and only looking at their body of work and the numbers they have compiled in their careers, it is hard to make a distinction on who is the true GOAT.
For one, Pelé is the only player to have won three World Cups. Mbappé would have made a much more convincing argument for GOAT-hood this early in his career if he and France won this year, but that was not meant to be.
Nevertheless, he still has two more tries at the very least. And if he be like Messi and plays for a fifth tourney, and Les Bleus make a clean sweep until 2034, then he should be runaway GOAT at that point.
Back to the South Americans, the pro-Messi side might point out that Pelé does not have a continental championship with his national team. For that we say, when did one continental title outweigh three world diadems?
This is why after everything; we are still Pelé-leaning even if the emotional favorite right now is Leo.
Will the GOAT debate ever end?
No. As much as football fans saw the end of an era with the last dance of the likes of Ronaldo, Luka Modrić, Robert Lewandowski, and Luis Suárez, there will be others who will take their place.
Aside from Mbappé, Cody Gakpo, Jude Bellingham, Tyler Adams, Enzo Fernández, Julián Álvarez, Ibrahima Konaté, Jamal Musiala, Gavi, Pedri, Alphonso Davies, Vinícius Júnior, Gonçalo Ramos, João Félix, Rafael Leão, Lee Kang-in, and Darwin Núñez will be at their prime when 2026 rolls in and will be their respective countries’ star booters.
Not saying all of them will become a GOAT, but they will be household names in the next few years.
What did we learn?
I say the GOAT is up to you. Whether it is a Brazilian or Argentine, what is not up to debate is that they come from the same continent. Always has been.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup may be over, but there are still other options on M88 Mansion‘s sportsbooks.
