ESPN pundit Shaka Hislop has expressed confidence that Inter Miami captain Lionel Messi will break Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo’s FIFA Club World Cup goal record in the current edition of the tournament.
Hislop, however, noted that the record may not stand for long due to the competition’s newly extended format.
Messi and Ronaldo both enjoyed significant success at the Club World Cup during their peak years in Europe.
The Argentina international won the tournament three times with Barcelona (2009, 2011, and 2015), scoring five goals in six matches.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, clinched the title four times—once with Manchester United (2008) and three times with Real Madrid (2014, 2016, and 2017).
The Portuguese forward is currently the all-time leading goalscorer in Club World Cup history with seven goals in eight appearances.
Messi failed to add to his tally at the weekend after Inter Miami were held to a 0-0 draw by Al-Ahly in their opening 2025 Club World Cup fixture.
Nevertheless, Hislop believes there is little doubt that Messi will surpass Ronaldo’s record during the ongoing competition.
He told ESPN, “I don’t think there is any question that Lionel Messi breaks it.
“Given the extended format of this competition, I don’t think there is any doubt that Lionel Messi breaks this record.
“But, I don’t think those records stand for very long either because of the extended format.”
