Barca talisman Lionel Messi has pipped his long-term rival Cristiano Ronaldo to be named as the Player of the Decade.
The Argentine star surpassed the Portuguese icon in the vote for the best footballer between 2011 and 2020 in a ranking by the IFFHS – the International Federation of Football History and Statistics, as per Diario AS.
Both players had full domination over player awards spanning the decade, leading their sides to multiple championship titles within that timeframe – Messi with six league titles, two Champions League crowns and five domestic cup titles while Ronaldo garnered four league crowns, four Champions Leagues and two domestic cups.
The same time span also saw both players winning four Ballon d’Or awards on an individual basis, with Messi winning an additional one after that to stay one ahead of his rival.
Messi has netted 651 goals in 757 appearances for Barcelona while Ronaldo netted a remarkable club record 450 goals in 438 appearances for Los Blancos between 2009 and 2018 and has 88 goals in 113 outings for Juventus.
He has scored 764 senior goals throughout the entirety of his career and looks set to continue this trajectory for several seasons yet.
Credit: Football Tribe Malaysia
