There is a remarkable race going on between two contemporary football legends. That is the competition to become the greatest scorer in the history of World Cup qualifying. Up to now, Cristiano Ronaldo has 36 goals in this front. The Portuguese player is 2 more “shooting” than Lionel Messi.

Both great strikers are aiming to break the record currently held by Carlos Ruiz. According to statistics, the Guatemalan star has scored a total of 39 goals to take the number 1 spot in the list of greatest goalscorers in World Cup qualifying. However, the Guatemalan football legend has long since retired, so there is no chance of improving his scoring record.

It may only be a matter of time before Messi or Ronaldo surpasses Carlos Ruiz. In some ways, Portugal’s greatest ever goalscorer still has the advantage over the reigning world champions in the race to surpass the former Guatemala international’s mark.

In this national team training session, neither Messi nor Ronaldo had the chance to improve their scoring record in the World Cup qualifiers. While M10 was not called up to the Argentina national team due to injury and missed the two matches against Uruguay and Brazil, CR7 did not play any matches in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers this time, because the Portuguese national team was busy competing in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Nations League 2024/25.

So, Ronaldo still has the entire 2026 World Cup qualifying journey to find a goal to surpass Carlos Ruiz’s record. With a gap of 3 goals, CR7 is likely to fulfill his wish. But for Messi, the possibility is lower. Because he has been injured recently, he is often absent from Argentina’s matches, not to mention, the 2026 World Cup qualifying round in South America has passed two-thirds of the way.

It should be emphasized that the 2026 World Cup qualifiers could be the last chance for Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to complete their goal of surpassing Carlos Ruiz’s record. Because CR7 is now 40 years old, and M10 is also 37 years old. Maybe in the 2030 World Cup qualifiers, they will no longer compete.