The preference among football players may be related to the fans’ political positioning, according to a study conducted by researchers from Singapore and Spain and published on June 5 on the academic platform .
The analysis identified a tendency for people with a more liberal profile to show greater support for Argentinean, while participants with a more conservative inclination showed a preference for Portuguese.
The survey gathered responses from 10,661 participants from 26 countries spread across 6 continents between April and May 2026. The researchers analyzed evaluations made by the interviewees about the players and crossed the data with the participants’ individual characteristics.
According to the authors, political ideology was the individual variable with the greatest capacity to explain the preference between the 2 athletes.
The researchers noted that Messi was most often associated with characteristics such as collective spirit, discretion and dedication to family and group.
Cristiano Ronaldo, in turn, appeared more linked to traits described in the study, such as individual dominance and greater self-promotion. According to researchers, these characteristics are associated with values considered more conservative.
In addition to political positioning, other factors were also related to the choice of Cristiano Ronaldo, such as higher levels of self-esteem, traits of authoritarianism and greater consumption of short videos on social networks.
The preference for Messi showed a smaller, but statistically significant, association with higher levels of cognitive reflection.
PREFERENCE FACTORS
The authors emphasize, however, that traditional factors continue to strongly influence fans’ choices.
Elements such as preferred club, childhood memories, playing style and identification built throughout the athletes’ career hold relevant weight in the decision.
According to the study, the relationship between political ideology and sports preference is more intense among young people and middle-aged adults, groups that grew up in a context of greater political polarization and the widespread presence of social networks.
The analysis also identified differences between countries. In 19 of the 26 analyzed, there was a clearer preference for one of the players.
COUNTRIES THAT SUPPORTED PLAYERS
Argentina led the support for Messi, while Indonesia showed greater identification with Cristiano Ronaldo.
Brazil, however, was classified in the group considered balanced. According to the researchers, Brazilian interviewees gave very close ratings to the 2 players: 5.82 for Cristiano Ronaldo and 5.80 for Messi on a 7-point scale, which indicates a high level of approval for both.
