Barcelona star Lionel Messi has pipped his long-term rival Cristiano Ronaldo to be named as the Player of the Decade.
The Argentine star prevailed over 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 dominated player awards across the decade and led their sides to multiple titles in that timeframe – Messi won six league titles, two Champions League crowns and five domestic cup titles while Ronaldo’s sides have won four league crowns, four Champions Leagues and two domestic cups.
On an individual basis, each player won four Ballon d’Or awards in that timespan.
Messi’s future has been at the heart of Barcelona news in recent weeks; he has netted 651 goals in 757 appearances for the club.
Ronaldo was the spearhead for Real Madrid until his move to Italy in 2018.
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.