Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? Best male footballer of the decade announced

Lionel Messi has been named the best male footballer of the last decade by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS), ahead of fellow superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

The IFFHS is a well-renowned organization which documents football data and results, as well as information regarding the beautiful game. The Player of the Decade award was decided after members of the organization, from around 150 countries, cast their votes.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are regarded as two of the best footballers to have played the game, and the debate about who is the better player is has been raging on for years.

Lionel Messi has enjoyed a stellar career with Barcelona so far. The Argentina international made his debut for the club in 2004 and has made 757 appearances in all competitions, scoring 651 goals.

Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo has also achieved incredible sporting success, with clubs like Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus.

Lionel Messi was announced as the Player of the Decade by IFFHS, with Cristiano Ronaldo a close second. Andres Iniesta, Neymar and Sergio Ramos round off the top five.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi linked with moves away

Cristiano Ronaldo joined Juventus from Real Madrid in 2018 for a club-record fee of €100 million, and has arguably been their most important player since then.

The 36-year old has made 113 appearances in all competitions and scored 88 goals, but has been linked with a move away in recent months.

A return to Manchester United was mooted for Cristiano Ronaldo, while Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain were also said to be interested in signing the Portugal international.

Those rumours have since died down, and Cristiano Ronaldo looks settled at Juventus for the time being.

The future of Lionel Messi, on the other hand, is up in the air. The 33-year old announced last summer that he wanted to leave Barcelona, but a move failed to materialise.

With his contract expiring this summer, Lionel Messi can leave Barcelona on a free transfer, and there have been no signs from him or his camp about wanting to sign a new deal with the club.

Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain have been heavily linked with Lionel Messi, while Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus have also been suggested as a potential destination.

The two players recently played against each other when Juventus faced Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League group stage.