It is one of the greatest individual sporting rivalries in sport, and the battle for supremacy between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo appears to have taken another twist with leaked FIFA 20 statistics.
The Barcelona and Juventus forwards have battled for the tag of greatest male footballer for some time, and have won five Ballon d'Ors each.
Recently Messi got one over Ronaldo when he won the UEFA Best Forward award over the Portuguese superstar , and it appears Messi will soon have further bragging rights.
According to the Sun , leaked stats show that Messi has been given a rating of 94/100 in this season's edition of FIFA, which is released on September 27, while Ronaldo only has 93.
This is different from last year's game, in which both players had 94, and it appears the creators EA Sports believe Ronaldo is regressing slightly.
Last season Messi scored a stunning 51 goals in 50 appearances in all competitions, helping his Barcelona side win the La Liga title for the second year in a row.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, was not quite so clinical, scoring 28 goals in 43 appearances in all competitions, but still helped Juventus to the Serie A title and also inspired his national side to win this summer's Nations League.
Closely behind the two superstars in FIFA's rankings comes PSG's want-away forward Neymar, who has allegedly been given a rating of 92, while Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has 91 and Liverpool trio Alisson, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah have 90.
Despite their fierce rivalry Ronaldo recently insisted there were no hard feelings between he and Messi, and even hinted they could soon share a meal together .
Speaking at the Champions League group stage draw Ronaldo said: “I don’t know if it has ever happened in football, the same two guys on the same stage all the time. So it is not easy, as you know.
“Of course, we have a good relationship. We have not had dinner together… yet. But I hope in the future!”
