A standout argument that makes the case for Cristiano Ronaldo against Lionel Messi in the debate concerning their hierarchy against each other is his success with the national team.
Ronaldo has guided Portugal to two successful cup victories – the European tournament in 2016 and the Nations League in 2019. Messi, on the other hand, remains unsuccessful with Argentina.
And one of the two trophies that give the Portuguese an edge over his rival was secured on this day, June 9, 2019.
Portugal were up against the Netherlands in the final of the competition that was the first of its kind. To reach there, the former had beaten Switzerland, thanks to a hat-trick from Ronaldo, while the latter had knocked out England in the semi-finals.
The presence of the likes of Memphis Depay, Frenkie de Jong, Virgil van Dijk, and Matthijs de Ligt made the Dutch an intimidating force, who were also a favorite to win the competition. But Portugal, with Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Goncalo Guedes, and Ronaldo leading the attack, also had one of the most talented squads.
The half-time break saw neither of the teams being able to break the deadlock, with the Oranje being more dominant. It took nearly an hour before Goncalo Guedes’ strike put his side on the front foot which also proved to be the match-winner.
