13 Ballon d’Ors 

Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo – Which superstar was more valuable across career?

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Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are the two most recognisable footballers of all-time as a result of their incredible careers spanning three decades. The iconic duo have collected 13 Ballon d’Ors between them with Messi winning the most in the awards history with eight. The duo have been constantly judged against the other’s achievements across their careers and they were comfortably the two best players in the world for a decade. 

Cristiano Ronaldo is the top scorer in Champions League history with 140 goals and he’s won the most prestigious club competition one more time than the Argentinian but Messi famously led his country to World Cup glory in 2022. Both players have now reached the twilights on their astonishing careers with Messi playing with Inter Miami in the MLS and Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia with Al-Nassr. Transfermarkt’s market value updates for the Saudi Pro League and MLS landed this week with both superstars receiving downgrades. Messi has dropped by €5 million to €20m while Ronaldo – two years older than his counterpart – has dropped by €3m to €12m.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s career market values compared

Ronaldo is two years older than Barcelona legend Messi and that was reflected when Transfermarkt’s market values were established. The Portuguese attacker was valued at €20 million, while Messi’s valuation was just €3m. Both players’ market values soared over the years with Messi overtaking Ronaldo in 2007 when he increased to €40m. Ronaldo surged back ahead of Messi in 2008 when he collected his first Ballon d’Or and his market value remained higher than the Argentinian until 2011. Messi’s valuation rocketed to €120m in 2012 – €20m higher than Ronaldo for two years – until the former Real Madrid star joined him in 2014.

Ronaldo’s record market value was €120m but it dropped across 2016 and 2017 before returning to its peak in 2018 during his last season at Real Madrid. Remarkably, Messi’s valuation remained at €120m for six years between 2012 and 2018 but it surged to its record high of €180m in 2018 when he was unquestionably the best player on the planet. Both players’ valuations naturally decreased as they got older with Ronaldo’s dropping by €40m across one year at Juventus. The 38-year-old rejoined Manchester United in a sentimental move in 2021 before joining current club Al-Nassr. Ronaldo is still scoring goals at an incredible rate and he remains the most valuable player born in 1985. Messi’s market value trajectory has followed a similar path to Ronaldo but he’s been valued higher across the last ten seasons, mainly due to his age.