EA SPORTS FIFA has been running for well over two decades, and in the 2000s both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were young players starting to make a name for themselves.
Check out the images above to see some of the older scans of Messi Ronaldo in FIFA!
Read: PES Reveal New Barca Bayern Scans More
Looking at statistics available on FIFA Index, we can go all the way back to FIFA 05, where Cristiano Ronaldo was making an impact at Manchester United.
Ronaldo, at the age of 19, was among the top-rated players in FIFA 05, starting with an overall of 88 and boasting the potential to reach 98.
Arsenal star, Thierry Henry, had a rating of 97 at that time, one of the highest in the game. While FC Barcelona star, Ronaldinho, was around top spot in the years that followed.
An 18-year-old Messi did not look the most attractive option when playing FIFA 06, with the Argentine star rated 78 overall.
Ronaldo, at that stage, had jumped to 91 overall, equal to 23-year-old Zlatan Ibrahimovic and four points behind Ronaldinho. Teammate, Wayne Rooney, had a rating of 93 in that game.
Messi had a meteoric rise in FIFA 07 though, getting 84 overall and 94 potential. Ronaldo started with a higher overall at 87, but his potential only took him to 92.
Ronaldo remained ahead of Messi in FIFA 08, with an impressive year taking him to 91 overall, while Messi jumped by just two points to 86 overall.
It was in FIFA 09 that the debate of who was better really kicked into gear. Again, Ronaldo remained just ahead of Messi in his last year with Manchester United. Boasting an overall of 91, while Messi was one point behind with an overall of 90.
Read: Barca Stars Leads FIFA 21 Team Of The Week
The duo were dominant from that year going forward, with Messi beating Ronaldo for the first time in FIFA 10, where he remained on 90 overall, while Ronaldo dropped to 89.
Check out the images above to see some of the older scans of Messi Ronaldo in FIFA!
