Days after Lionel Messi matched Cristiano Ronaldo's World Cup qualifier feat, Portugal star scores brace and overtakes rival

Cristiano Ronaldo has overtaken his eternal rival Lionel Messi once again in terms of goals in FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The Portuguese superstar scored a brace for Roberto Martinez's side as they secured a 5-0 win against Armenia on Saturday, September 6.

Lionel Messi went level with the 40-year-old forward on Thursday, September 4, by scoring a brace in a 3-0 win against Venezuela. They both scored 36 goals in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers before Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice to take the lead once again.

As per FIFA, former Guatemala striker Carlos Ruiz remains the top scorer in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. He scored 39 goals in 47 appearances across five different FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.

Cristiano Ronaldo sits just one goal behind Ruiz with 38 goals in 48 qualifier games. This is the sixth World Cup qualifying campaign for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.

Lionel Messi, on the other hand, has 36 goals in 72 qualifying games across six campaigns. Ruiz, Ronaldo and Messi have averaged 0.83, 0.79 and 0.50 goals per game on average respectively.

Al-Nassr attacking duo Joao Felix and Cristiano Ronaldo both scored braces for Portugal in their 5-0 win against Armenia. Joao Cancelo also found the back of the net and paid a tribute to former teammate Diogo Jota, who tragically passed away in the summer.

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Liverpool legend makes bold claim on Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Liverpool icon Steve Nicol has made a huge claim ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026. The former Scottish right-back has claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo should not be starting for Portugal whereas Lionel Messi is still at the top of his game.

Nicol has claimed that Ronaldo is no longer the player he used to be as he relied heavily on the physical side of his game. However, he believes that Messi's technical abilities and creative spark still make him a guaranteed starter for Argentina. Nicol told ESPN:

"He [Messi] should be [playing] at the World Cup. When you get to the latter stages of the career, when you're 38-39, things do start going [against you] and then you start questioning yourself. But when you have the ability that he has, why would you not have him coming off the bench [at least]?"

The former Liverpool right-back added:

"I have not heard one person say, 'Messi can't do this' or 'Messi is not doing that now'. Absolutely, [I don't think Cristiano can do many things he did in the past]. They are two completely different footballers. and Ronaldo as great a finisher he is, relies a lot on the physical side of the game. Messi does not rely as much on the physical side of the game. He does his damage in little tight areas, and little split seconds, picking a pass and putting the ball in the net."

Nicol concluded:

"Cristiano should not be starting for Portugal. We are not saying that about Lionel Messi. We're not saying Messi shouldn't start for Argentina, so the fact that he is, and he has shown no signs [of decline] in an Argentina jersey, means that he should be there [at the World Cup]. I don't think there's any argument."

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have both played in five World Cups so far and they are both expected to feature in the 2026 edition too. They will create history if they represent their respective countries, becoming the first players to play in six World Cups.