Lionel Messi Aims Dig at Cristiano Ronaldo, Settles GOAT Debate With Cheeky Video
- Lionel Messi posted a receipt-style image on Instagram listing his international honours as part of a new brand campaign
- The creative post itemised Messi's goals, assists, and trophies won with Argentina, including the 2022 FIFA World Cup
- The post ended with a pointed message that has reignited the long-running debate over football's greatest player
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Lionel Messi has taken a fresh jab at the long-running debate over who is football's greatest player, sharing an Instagram post that lays out his entire international career in the form of a bar receipt.
The post, created as part of a brand campaign, lists Messi's goals, assists, minutes played and major honours for Argentina as individual line items on what resembles a restaurant bill. In place of a total or tip, the receipt closes with the phrase "GOAT debate - settled".
Source: Getty Images
As seen on Messi's official Instagram page, the itemised list on the image covers some of the most significant achievements in international football history.
Featured prominently are Argentina's 2022 FIFA World Cup triumph, multiple Copa America titles, an Olympic gold medal, the Finalissima trophy, and a figure representing the millions of fans Messi has inspired throughout his international career.
The post arrives after Messi announced his retirement from international football, making it a pointed final statement on his legacy and, implicitly, his rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi cements legacy as football's GOAT
Messi's path to cementing that legacy was far from straightforward.
He retired from international duty in 2016 after Argentina lost the Copa America final to Chile, only to reverse that decision and return to the national team.
That comeback eventually delivered the trophy that had eluded him for so long.
In 2021, Messi was central to Argentina ending a 28-year wait for Copa America success, Yahoo Sports reports.
The following year in Qatar, the former Barcelona captain led the country to its first World Cup title in 36 years, their third overall, beating France in the final after the match finished 3-3 in normal time.
Argentina won 4-2 on penalties, with Messi scoring twice in regulation and converting from the spot.
He then added a second consecutive Copa America in 2024, giving Argentina back-to-back continental titles following the World Cup win.
Across six World Cup tournaments between 2006 and 2026, Messi scored 21 goals in 34 matches.
He is currently the second-highest scorer in World Cup history, behind France's Kylian Mbappe, who holds the record with 22 goals.
Messi's record run at 2026 World Cup
At the 2026 tournament, Messi had one of the most productive individual campaigns of his career.
He scored eight goals and contributed four assists, including his first-ever World Cup hat-trick, which came against Algeria.
During the tournament, he briefly overtook Germany's Miroslav Klose as the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history before Mbappe eventually surpassed him to claim the record.
The receipt post is the latest chapter in a decades-long public debate between supporters of Messi and Ronaldo over who deserves the title of the sport's greatest.
With his international retirement now confirmed and his career honours on display in one cheeky image, Messi appears to have decided that the argument no longer requires any further discussion.
Why Argentina can't retire Messi's No. 10
In another development, Legit.ng reported about Messi's recent retirement from international football and the implications it has for Argentina's iconic number 10 shirt.
The unexpected twist, a FIFA regulation that prevents the permanent retirement of jersey numbers, means that another player will soon don the legendary shirt, sparking a debate about who is worthy to fill Messi's shoes.
Source: Legit.ng
