Fact check: A survey by The Athletic of over 100 former professional footballers found 66% believed Cristiano Ronaldo had a better…

Verdict: verified — Trust Score 90/100

The Instagram post accurately presents the findings of a survey by The Athletic concerning Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's careers, individual awards, and World Cup achievements. The survey results, including the percentages for career preference and teammate preference, are confirmed by 5 sources. Additionally, the post correctly states Messi's eight Ballon d'Or wins compared to Ronaldo's five, and Messi's 2022 World Cup victory with Argentina, which Ronaldo has not achieved with Portugal.

Platform
instagram
Source author
intels — see all fact-checks of this account
Original post
https://www.instagram.com/p/DaqjWUQD4Co/?igsh=ZzZrcGFjNTFzNHp3
Verified on
July 21, 2026
Verification ID
FOGqcqwCPq1VSyP80J1hxA

Original content reviewed

Platform: INSTAGRAM Author: @intels --- Caption/Description --- A survey by The Athletic of over 100 former professional footballers found 66% believed Cristiano Ronaldo had the better career overall compared to 34% for Lionel Messi, likely reflecting Ronaldo’s title wins across three different leagues (England, Spain, and Italy) versus Messi’s more concentrated dominance at Barcelona. Interestingly, when asked which player they’d have preferred as a teammate, the same group flipped hard toward Messi, 72% to 28%. The debate remains unsettled among fans too: Messi holds the edge in individual awards with eight Ballon d’Or wins to Ronaldo’s five, plus a World Cup title with Argentina in 2022 that Ronaldo has never won with Portugal. Source: The Athletic --- On-Screen Text (OCR) --- INTELS NEWS 66% OF EX-FOOTBALLERS BELIEVE CRISTIANO RONALDO HAS HAD A BETTER CAREER THAN LIONEL MESSI Published: 2026-07-11T19:47:56.000Z ---VERIFICATION_SUMMARY--- Platform: INSTAGRAM Author: @intels --- HOW TO VERIFY THIS (provenance-first) --- 1. SOURCE-TRACE: take the MOST DISTINCTIVE, verbatim details above — exact unusual quotes, named people/places/objects — and web-search them TOGETHER as a combination, alongside the subject/person shown and the topic, to find the ORIGINAL source of this clip (an official channel, the uploader, a news report). A combination of distinctive phrases has essentially ONE source on the web. 2. JUDGE FROM PROVENANCE: If a credible source (official account, established news outlet) documents this exact clip/event, it is a REAL, documented event — verify accordingly, and use that source to confirm WHO is shown. If after searching NO credible source corroborates an extraordinary or specific claim, state it CANNOT BE VERIFIED (and for a sensational claim lean toward not-credible). Do NOT default to "verified" on tangential, generic facts. --- Caption/Description --- A survey by The Athletic of over 100 former professional footballers found 66% believed

Claims analyzed (5)

  1. verified: A survey by The Athletic of over 100 former professional footballers found 66% believed Cristiano Ronaldo had a better career overall compared to 34% for Lionel Messi.
    Multiple sources from 2025 and 2022 confirm that The Athletic conducted a survey of former professional footballers where 66% believed Cristiano Ronaldo had a better career than Lionel Messi, with 34% favoring Messi.
  2. unverifiable: The survey results likely reflect Ronaldo’s title wins across three different leagues (England, Spain, and Italy) versus Messi’s more concentrated dominance at Barcelona.
    This statement is an interpretation of the survey results and not a factual claim that can be verified. However, it is a known fact that Cristiano Ronaldo has won league titles in England (Premier League), Spain (La Liga), and Italy (Serie A).
  3. verified: When asked which player they’d have preferred as a teammate, the same group of former professional footballers flipped hard toward Messi, 72% to 28%.
    The Athletic survey also found that 72% of former professional footballers would have preferred Lionel Messi as a teammate, compared to 28% for Cristiano Ronaldo.
  4. verified: Lionel Messi holds the edge in individual awards with eight Ballon d’Or wins to Cristiano Ronaldo’s five.
    Lionel Messi has won a record eight Ballon d'Or awards, while Cristiano Ronaldo has won five.
  5. verified: Lionel Messi won a World Cup title with Argentina in 2022, a title Cristiano Ronaldo has never won with Portugal.
    Lionel Messi captained Argentina to victory in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo has not won a World Cup title with Portugal.

Sources consulted (12)

Related verifications

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