Is Cristiano Ronaldo the GOAT?

Main topic: Culture and entertainment

Other topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Football

Short answer: Yes, according to most statistics and evaluations of Ronaldo's performance against his other competitors including Messi, Pele, and Maradona.

Dr. Tom Crawford, a mathematician at the University of Oxford says he has proven the argument on behalf of LiveScore through evaluation scores achieved by the players across the 7 categories evaluated.

5 statistics that suggest Cristiano Ronaldo is the GOAT

It is unfathomable to believe that a man who is 35 years old can be considered one of the best football players in the world. There has never been a player in the history of sports who has dominated a sport to such an extent for such a lengthy period of time. The striker Cristiano Ronaldo has consistently discovered fresh methods to reinvent himself and stay at the top of his game over the course of his reign, which has lasted just over 16 years. The following statistics support Ronaldo being titled a GOAT:

• The first player to score in ten consecutive international tournaments

During the time span of 2004 to 2019, Ronaldo became the first player ever to score in 10 straight international competitions. This accomplishment involves scoring goals at four World Cups, four European Championships, one Confederations Cup, and a Nations League tournament. A run of such consistency demonstrates that his longevity in football will never again be matched by another player.

• The first player to score a goal in every minute of the 90

Only a few players have scored 90 goals in their professional careers, and even fewer have done so while scoring at least one goal in each and every minute of a game. In this day and age, there are three players who fit this description, and Ronaldo is undoubtedly one of them. It comes as a surprise that Messi was not included on the list. The most recent addition to this list is Luis Suárez, who joins the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovi. Ronaldo is a nightmare for opposing defenders because he plays with the same energy from the beginning to the final minute of the game. The forward's unrivaled persistence, unquenchable hunger for goals, and relentless movement in the final third make it difficult for managers to substitute him regardless of his age or exhaustion.

• Champions League all-time top scorer

Elite athletes participate on the largest stages and in the most prestigious tournaments. The UEFA Champions League is the pinnacle of club football, and no other competition can boast a pool of teams of a higher caliber than the UCL. This is where the finest players from each country's domestic league meet, providing us with dream matches with unforgettable moments. Cristiano Ronaldo had more unforgettable moments than any other player in the history of this tournament. On numerous occasions, the greatest player who ever lived has dominated the UCL with monumental displays. Consequently, Ronaldo is the tournament's all-time leading scorer, having scored 129 goals in 167 matches. This is in addition to 40 assists, which is the most in the history of the event. But that does not tell the whole tale, as the Portuguese captain holds numerous more tournament records. Ronaldo was the first player to achieve 100 career UCL victories and the first player to score 100 UCL goals.

• Better Goal Per Game Ratio After Turning 30

We are all aware of the fact that Ronaldo sticks to a rigorous exercise regimen, which is the primary reason why he is aging like a great wine. His goals-per-game ratio became unbelievably better after he turned 30. Prior to turning 30, he scored 463 goals in 718 matches or around 0.64 goals per game. His goal-scoring average over the past 30 years has been 0.94 per game. The numerical gap speaks loudly.

• Best goals-per-game ratio in La Liga history

Lionel Messi may be the all-time leading scorer in La Liga, but Cristiano Ronaldo still boasts the highest goals-per-game ratio in the Spanish top flight. In 292 La Liga outings, Ronaldo scored an amazing 311 goals. His 1.07 strike rate surpassed Messi's 0.92. It is quite evident from the stats that Ronaldo has scored more goals than games he's played, and that is an abnormality in the football world today.

Ronaldo crowned the GOAT by mathematical study

Based on the results of the evaluation conducted between 10 top football players by Dr. Tom Crawford, a mathematician at the University of Oxford, Ronaldo has been mathematically proven to be the GOAT. The evaluation was based on the scores obtained by the players in seven different categories such as club titles, international titles, club goals, international goals, Ballon d’Or, records, and Z-factor seasons.

Ronaldo, whose impressive resume includes seven league crowns in three countries and five Champions League victories with Manchester United and Real Madrid, edges out Messi in the first factor.

The second factor was international honors, with 150 points awarded for World Cup victories and 100 points for either the European Championship or Copa America. Given that the Brazilian superstar Ronaldo has won two World Cups and two Copa Americas, it was unsurprising that he won this round and received the maximum 100 points available.

Dr. Crawford's third criterion relates to goals scored in club football, and the Hungarian legend Puskas, who scored an astounding 625 goals in 629 games, receives full credit. Pele, who scored 643 goals in 659 games for Brazilian team Santos, was not far behind, and he currently holds the overall lead.

Unsurprisingly, the next category is international goals, and Cristiano Ronaldo has just surpassed Ali Daei of Iran to reclaim the all-time international scoring record. Following the most recent round of World Cup qualifying matches, in which he scored twice against the Republic of Ireland, the Portugal star now has 111 goals for his country.

The fifth input to the algorithm was about who won the Ballon d'Or, or more specifically, who got the most votes for the Ballon d'Or s. Pele gets the highest score here, but Cristiano, who has won this award five times, keeps his overall lead.

And Ronaldo was also in charge of the sixth category, which is about holding records. The Portuguese forward is not only the best international scorer of all time, but he also holds five world records.

Dr. Crawford finally made something called the Z-Factor, which is based on the seasons in which a player's goals led their team to victory. Messi wins by a long shot since his goals have helped Barcelona win 10 league titles and 4 Champions Leagues.

In the final scoreboard, the rating of the Portuguese ace, Ronaldo was 100% more than that of his competitor Lionel Messi, who had a rating of 94%, and the Brazilian legend Pele came in at 85% rating, which summed up Ronaldo as the football GOAT of the world.