The Copa América and the Euro 2024 will commence in a few weeks, which will see Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi play in probably their final continental competition. They will be looking to lead their sides to yet another continental triumph, having won the respective tournaments once.
Cristiano Ronaldo led Portugal to their first and only Euro tournament in 2016, while Lionel Messi, in 2021, also led Argentina to their first continental trophy in 28 years.
Ronaldo and Messi also won the UEFA Nations League and CONMEBOL-UEFA Cup of Champions, respectively, for their countries.
However, fans on both sides of the never-ending debate about who is the greatest of all time frequently undermine each other’s successes. While Messi supporters typically minimize the importance of the Nations League, Ronaldo supporters frequently overlook the CONMEBOL-UEFA Cup of Champions.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup gave Messi fan boys the edge as their ‘GOAT’ won the competition, as Ronaldo’s Portugal got knocked out in the quarterfinals by Morocco.
With the upcoming competitions, both fanbases will be hoping their respective GOATS clinch their continental trophies. Ronaldo fanboys will be hoping Portugal wins Euro 2024 for bragging rights, while Messi supporters will be looking forward to Argentina winning the Copa America, in a bid to extend their dominance in the GOAT debate.
Sports Buddy, in this article, takes a look at who, between Ronaldo and Messi, has the greater tendency to win their respective continental trophy.
Messi or Ronaldo? Who has a higher chance of winning their respective continental tournament?
Messi has a higher chance of winning another continental trophy before Ronaldo. Here is why:
Argentina are clear favourites to win the Copa America
According to Fox Sports, Argentina tops the chart for favorites to win the Copa America.
The chart shows Argentina was given +175 odds to win the tournament, followed by Brazil with +225 odds.
Note: The lower the odds, the higher the chances of winning
Having won the last competition, the Blue and Whites have been tipped to win the Copa América for a second consecutive time.
This prediction is no surprise, as Lionel Scaloni’s team are the current world and continental champions.
Additionally, Lionel Messi’s Argentina is currently the highest-ranked team in the world, which automatically marks them as the best team going into the competition.
FIFA Men's World Ranking (As of 4 April, 2024) pic.twitter.com/EIIUjOpIpB
— RankingRoyals (@RankingRoyals) May 25, 2024
Portugal are not clear favourites to win the Euro 2024
Portugal, on the other hand, has gone under the radar when it comes to winning Euro 2024, although they are tipped to advance far in the tournament. Ronaldo’s team is rated as the fifth favorite to win the tournament at +800, behind England, France, Germany, and Spain, according to Fox Sports.
By using the aforementioned statistic, Lionel Messi appears to have a greater probability of winning the Copa America than Cristiano Ronaldo in Euro 2024, but nothing is guaranteed.
