New Delhi, June 10 -- They are the two greatest players of their generation, perhaps of any generation. For two decades, the debate over Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo has consumed football.

Both have graced 5 World Cups. Both have carried their nations on their backs. Yet, when the numbers are laid out side by side, one conclusion becomes very difficult to avoid.

Lionel Messi stands apart from Cristiano Ronaldo in almost every World Cup metric. Messi has scored 13 goals at the tournament for Argentina. That places him comfortably ahead of Ronaldo, who has managed 8.

In terms of assists, the gap is even more striking. Messi is the only player to register an assist in 5 separate World Cups. His 8 assists at the tournament are a reco...