Lionel Messi: Ballon d'Or winner ranked second best World Cup player ever, Ronaldo misses out

Argentine maestro, Lionel Messi, has etched his name in the annals of football after making the list of the best World Cup players ever.

Messi, a record eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, has been hailed as the second-best World Cup player in history by FourFourTwo.

While Messi’s individual accolades and remarkable career at FC Barcelona especially are well-documented, the FIFA World Cup has been an arena where he has faced both triumph and defeat.

The debate about his standing in football history centres on his undeniable talent, but also his team’s achievements in global tournaments.

Messi, 35, kicked off his World Cup journey in 2006 and his performances have been nothing short of extraordinary ever since. Over the years, he has treated fans to unforgettable moments, dazzling goals, and incredible assists. 

The 2022 World in Qatar became the pinnacle of his international career after he led his country, Argentina, to the title after an end-to-end final against France.

Argentina’s win in Qatar and Messi’s pivotal role in the victory has now led to the player being named amongst the best 30 players to have played at the World Cup.

“Messi could hardly have written the story more perfectly: he scored in every round – and in the penalty shootout victory over France in the final – and walked away with the Golden Ball,” FourFourTwo said in their report.

“Did that success cement his status as the greatest of all time? That debate will no doubt go on forever – but it did earn him an incredible eighth Ballon d'Or in 2023.”

This debate also brings Messi’s rival, Cristiano Ronaldo into the spotlight. Like the Argentine, Ronaldo is often cited as one of the greatest to have played the game.

However, he was not named among the top 30 players listed by FourFourTwo.

 The fact that the 38-year-old Portuguese superstar has experienced mixed fortunes at the World Cup and has also not impressed with Portugal in the competition, has cost him a place on the list.

With Messi now a World Cup winner, this has led to a nuanced discussion among fans, pundits, and historians, While Ronaldo’s brilliance remains undeniable, the weight placed on the World Cup in assessing a player’s all-time greatness remains a subject of debate.

The current consensus, as reflected in the ranking, places the late Pele, with his three World Cup titles, as the top World Cup player ever, with Diego Maradona, Brazil’s Ronaldo, and Zinedine Zidane making up the top five. 

France’s superstar, Kylian Mbappe also made the list as the seventh-best player ever to grace to competition.

The World Cup debate centres on the context of a player’s journey in the global showpiece, performances and title won. 

However, some will continue to argue that Ronaldo remains the greatest player ever even without a world cup title to his name.