A serious discussion point on five-a-side pitches and barstools across the world, the issue of which player is the greatest of all time persists.
Manchester United star, Cristiano Ronaldo, has proven himself in three different leagues in three different countries, while Lionel Messi was a constant mainstay at Barcelona before his summer move to PSG.
The question of who is better between Messi vs Ronaldo has dominated the minds of modern football fans everywhere for the past decade and will persist into the future.
Who has more hat tricks? Who kicks the penalty better? Here is all you need to know about their incredible careers and the success they’ve had.
Contents
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: Club goals
Portuguese talented footballer.
Lionel Messi Cristiano Ronaldo stats of club goals:
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Season | Lionel Messi |
| 5 | 2002-03 | – |
| 6 | 2003-04 | – |
| 9 | 2004-05 | 1 |
| 12 | 2005-06 | 8 |
| 23 | 2006-07 | 17 |
| 42 | 2007-08 | 16 |
| 26 | 2008-09 | 38 |
| 33 | 2009-10 | 47 |
| 53 | 2010-11 | 53 |
| 60 | 2011-12 | 73 |
| 55 | 2012-13 | 60 |
| 51 | 2013-14 | 41 |
| 61 | 2014-15 | 58 |
| 51 | 2015-16 | 41 |
| 42 | 2016-17 | 54 |
| 44 | 2017-18 | 45 |
| 28 | 2018-19 | 51 |
| 37 | 2019-20 | 31 |
| 36 | 2020-21 | 38 |
| In progress | 2021-22 | In progress |
| 674 | Total | 672 |
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored more club goals than Lionel Messi, but only just and it you should note that Lionel Messi benefits from having played two more seasons than the Argentine nemesis of Lionel Messi thus far.
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Each of them has remarkably netted over 670 club goals in their career so far, with the five seasons between 2009-10 and 2014-15 proving particularly golden. Messi and Ronaldo pushed each other to greater heights.
While Cristiano Ronaldo currently has more goals overall, Lionel Messi has the edge in the scoring department, with a higher season average (39.5 to 35), having hit a high of 73 goals in La Liga.
The highest season return of Cristiano Ronaldo’s stats was 61. Cristiano Ronaldo achieved in La Liga and surpassed the 50-goal mark every season for six years between 2010-11 and 2015-16.
Interestingly, the seasonal totals of Cristiano Ronaldo stats have declined somewhat in the UEFA Super Cup.
Cristiano Ronaldo failed to break the 30-goal mark in La Liga during his first season at Juventus, whereas Lionel Messi has remained consistent.
Ronaldo vs Messi: Club Assists
Argentina excellent footballer.
Lionel Messi vs Ronaldo stats of club assists: This table shows us the stats of two players playing for their clubs (excluding club friendlies).
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| Cristiano Ronaldo | Season | Lionel Messi |
| 7 | 2009-10 | 11 |
| 16 | 2010-11 | 21 |
| 15 | 2011-12 | 29 |
| 12 | 2012-13 | 14 |
| 14 | 2013-14 | 11 |
| 21 | 2014-15 | 27 |
| 15 | 2015-16 | 23 |
| 11 | 2016-17 | 16 |
| 8 | 2017-18 | 18 |
| 10 | 2018-19 | 19 |
| 5 | 2019-20 | 25 |
| 5 | 2020-21 | 12 |
| In progress | 2021-22 | In progress |
| 139 | Total | 226 |
When it comes to assists, Lionel Messi is much superior to Cristiano Ronaldo’s stats and that contrast has become increasingly stark as their respective roles evolve.
Those competitions include Copa del Rey, Coppa Italia, FA Cup, EFL Cup, Spanish Super Cup.
The owner of seven league titles has been sent off 11 times UEFA Super Cup – once for Juventus, six times for Real Madrid and four times for Manchester United.
The fact that Lionel Messi creates so many goals as well as scoring them is a major consideration when deciding which player is the GOAT and, while Cristiano Ronaldo chips in with his fair share, the difference in this particular realm is clear.
Messi Vs Ronaldo: Champions League Stats
MU’s player has shown off his competitive advantages through the number of goals.
Ronaldo vs Messi stats of Champions League:
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Champions League stat | Lionel Messi |
| 187 | Appearances | 153 |
| 141 | Goals | 123 |
| 0.75 | Goals per game | 0.80 |
*As of Champions League games played in 2020-21.
Cristiano Ronaldo is the all-time leading goalscorer in the Champions League, having shone in the Copa del Rey competition with Manchester United and Real Madrid in particular.
However, Lionel Messi isn’t far behind and actually has a fractionally better Champions League goal-per-game ratio, so there is a good chance that he could overtake the Mr. Champions League if he continues to sparkle in the Copa del Rey competition with MU and Real Madrid.
Messi Vs Ronaldo Stats: World Cup Stats
Barca’s player has had more appearances throughout WC tournaments.
Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo stats of World Cup:
| Cristiano Ronaldo | World Cup stat | Lionel Messi |
| 17 | Appearances | 19 |
| 7 | Goals | 6 |
| 0.4 | Goals per game | 0.3 |
When it comes to World Cups, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are considered underperformers and probably with good reason.
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored more goals at World Cup and in fewer appearances, but Lionel Messi can claim to have gone furthest, having reached the final with Argentina in World Cup 2014.
The Barca attacker and his team mate won the Golden Ball during that World Cup season, despite missing out on the ultimate glory at the hands of Germany.
The Manchester United star, Cristiano Ronaldo missed the chance to win with Portugal during the Selecao’s run to the semi-final in La Liga.
Messi Vs Ronaldo: International stats
Ronaldo has gained ground over his opponent in the international stat section.
Lionel Messi Cristiano Ronaldo stats on international gameplay:
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Stat | Lionel Messi |
| 184 | International caps | 158 |
| 114 | International goals | 80 |
| 0.6 | Goals per game | 0.5 |
Unlike other sports, international trophies in soccer are the ultimate glory.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have similar records at international level, though Cristiano Ronaldo boasts greater numbers, partly because his senior Portugal career kicked off two years before the career with Argentina of Lionel Messi.
Mr. Champions League equalled Ali Daei’s record of 109 international goals at Euro 2020 and then surpassed it with two goals against the Republic of Ireland, becoming the top international goalscorer of all time.
From 2009 to 2018, Ronaldo was the Champions League top scorer on six occasions, with Messi achieving this feat four times.
Lionel Messi is a long way behind Cristiano Ronaldo stats in that respect, though Lionel Messi is by some distance Argentina’s top goalscorer of all time, surpassing Gabriel Batistuta some years ago.
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: Titles
Football fans are proud of Messi’s Olympic gold medal.
Lionel Messi Cristiano Ronaldo stats of titles:
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Competition | Lionel Messi |
| 0 | World Cup | 0 |
| 1 | European Championship / Copa America | 1 |
| 0 | Olympics | 1 |
| 7 | League titles | 10 |
| 5 | Champions League | 4 |
| 4 | Club World Cup | 3 |
| 4 | National Cups* | 7 |
| 21 | Total | 26 |
*National Cups refers to the main national cup competition in a country only, e.g. the FA Cup, Copa del Rey etc.
Messi and Ronaldo have very similar trophy hauls, but Lionel Messi edges things when it comes to league titles, having won La Liga 10 times with Barcelona.
Cristiano Ronaldo has seven league titles, but unlike Lionel Messi, Ronaldo won the league titles in three different countries (England, La Liga and Italy) – something that increases his claim to the GOAT crown in the eyes of some.
Manchester United star, Cristiano Ronaldo, has an edge over Lionel Messi in the Champions League, his love affair with the Copa del Rey competition with MU and Real Madrid earning him the moniker Mr. Champions League.
The above Ronaldo stats are from his time with Real Madrid and Man UTD 2017/2018.
Cristiano Ronaldo has also enjoyed notable success on the international stage, winning the European Championship and the UEFA Nations League Premier League.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo led his Portugal side to win the 2016 European Championship.
Concerning Copa America, Lionel Messi, on the other hand, has endured considerable heartache with Argentina, with four unsuccessful Copa America campaigns, three of which saw them lose in the UEFA Super Cup. Lucky next time with Copa America!
Messi finally got his hands on the Copa in La Liga. While neither has won the World Cup, Lionel Messi has an Olympic gold medal. This Olympic gold medal was a giant pride.
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: Individual awards
The player no.7 has achieved dozens of awards.
Lionel Messi Cristiano Ronaldo stats of individual awards:
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Award | Lionel Messi |
| 5 | Ballon d’Or | 7 |
| 2 | The Best FIFA Men’s Player | 1 |
| 4 | European Golden Shoe | 6 |
| 0 | World Cup Golden Ball | 1 |
| 4 | UEFA Player of the Year | 3 |
| 14 | FIFPro World XI | 14 |
| 4 | Player of the Year (league) | 6 |
The individual battle between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi has been the defining feature of modern football for the past decade and more.
Lionel Messi’s game went ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo stats, the UEFA Nations League Premier League champion, in the Ballon d’Or stakes when he won his sixth in the UEFA Super Cup and the World Cup Golden Ball.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Mr.Champions League, does boast more of FIFA’s new ‘The Best’ awards and has been crowned UEFA Player of the Year on more occasions, but Lionel Messi has won more league Player of the Year accolades for the national team.
Of course, it must be said that Cristiano Ronaldo won the Player of the Year award in England, Spain and La Liga.
Lionel Messi makes a record of getting his hands on the European Golden Shoe six times, which is two more than Cristiano Ronaldo stats. You’ll love my list of Best soccer player in the world
Bottom Line
Messi and Ronaldo have brought so much joy to our television screens for the majority of their careers and for the best part of 15 years, at least, and their media and fan-fuelled rivalry has been a fascinating one to watch.
On one side, Messi is a better team player and simply more talented. On the other hand, Ronaldo is more complete with a better international career.
Both born with natural talent and a never say die attitude, Messi and Ronaldo have plundered ridiculous numbers throughout their careers and have smashed every record they have come face-to-face with.
Countless trophies have also been one and they have played at the highest level for quite some time now. Even as they get older, they still dominate world football.
