The Messi-Ronaldo rivalry is seemingly never-ending! While Lionel Messi concluded his 2023 on a high note, being named TIME’s Athlete of the Year and winning his record 8th Ballon d’Or, did Cristiano Ronaldo let him take all the spotlight? Well, NO. The Al Nassr star found a unique way to leapfrog his arch-rival.
According to numbers released Tuesday by the Wikimedia Foundation, Cristiano Ronaldo has pipped Lionel Messi by a place for the most numbers of Wikipedia searches. English Wikipedia raked in more than 84 billion views this year. Ronaldo ranks 14th in the top 25 searches accounting for about 17,492,537 views, while Messi is just a spot below, with 16,623,630. While no other footballers made it to the list, the Premier League did make it to the 16th spot with 16,604,669.
Lionel Messi in 2023:
Messi had a stellar year being named TIME’s Athlete of the Year 2023! In October, he secured his eighth Ballon d’Or award, putting him three ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo. The Argentina captain had previously steered his country to victory in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, marking their first such triumph since 1986. Messi’s outstanding performance earned him the Golden Ball in the tournament, amassing an impressive tally of seven goals and three assists.
The 36-year-old moved to Inter Miami in July, making an immediate and positive impact on the team. Messi’s leadership propelled the squad to a historic victory, securing the Leagues Cup and marking the franchise’s first-ever silverware. Meanwhile, Messi has netted 11 goals and provided five assists in 14 games across various competitions for Miami.
Cristiano Ronaldo In 2023:
Ronaldo, however, experienced a relatively challenging year with Al Nassr, narrowly missing out on the Saudi Pro League title. For the first time in the last decade, Ronaldo did not secure a spot in the final 30 of the Ballon d’Or rankings. Despite this, he is poised to conclude the year on a high note, having scored an impressive total of 48 goals. Only Harry Kane and Erling Haaland have surpassed him in goal-scoring this year. Ronaldo has contributed significantly, bagging 29 goals and providing 11 assists in 35 games across various competitions for Al-Nassr. Among these, he notably tallied 15 goals and nine assists in 16 games.
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