Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: Ultimate Statistical Battle to Decide Football G.O.A.T

Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: Ronaldo vs Messi Debate: The debate over who is the greatest football player of all time remains a popular topic of discussion in bars and on five-a-side pitches worldwide. The comparison between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi has become the most significant conundrum in football since the days of the ‘Diego Maradona or Pele?‘ argument. Follow all football updates live with InsideSport.IN

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For the past ten years, football enthusiasts have been grappling with the question of who between the Portuguese phenomenon and the Argentine empyrean is the superior player, a debate that is set to continue.

Most Goals Scored at Top Level in Football History

Club
Top 50 Leagues (+All Competition)
🇦🇷Lionel Messi: 703
🇵🇹Cristiano Ronaldo: 701

National Team vs Top100 Countries FIFA Ranking
🇦🇷Lionel Messi: 90
🇵🇹Cristiano Ronaldo: 91

Total:
🇦🇷Lionel Messi: 793
🇵🇹Cristiano Ronaldo: 792 pic.twitter.com/mmWVRBVJWg

— … (@Trachta10) April 15, 2023

Personal biases stemming from the club and national loyalties may sometimes influence opinions on the issue, and individual personalities can also impact how well a player is perceived. Nonetheless, most people have already made up their minds on the matter.

Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: The Ultimate Statistical Battle to Decide the Football GOAT

Let’s take a look at the major stats between the two.

Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: 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
24	2021-22	11
14	2022-23	20
712	Total	703

While it’s true that Ronaldo has scored more club goals than Messi, the margin is negligible. It’s worth noting that the Manchester United star has played for two more seasons than his Argentine rival thus far, which may have contributed to his higher tally.

Both players have remarkably scored over 690 club goals in their careers thus far. The period spanning from 2009-10 to 2014-15 was particularly prolific for the duo, as they continuously pushed each other to reach new heights.

It’s worth noting that Ronaldo’s seasonal goal tallies have decreased somewhat in recent years, with the Portuguese star failing to surpass 30 goals in his debut season at Juventus in 2018-19. In contrast, Messi’s yearly goal output has remained relatively stable, although the Argentine’s scoring rate has slowed down slightly since joining PSG.

Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: Club assists

Cristiano Ronaldo	Season	Lionel Messi
4	2002-03	0
6	2003-04	0
8	2004-05	0
8	2005-06	3
14	2006-07	3
7	2007-08	13
9	2008-09	17
8	2009-10	11
16	2010-11	23
15	2011-12	30
12	2012-13	15
14	2013-14	14
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
3	2021-22	14
4	2022-23	18
203	Total	301

Messi has a significant edge over Ronaldo when it comes to assists, and this contrast has become more pronounced as their roles on the pitch have evolved.

Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: The Ultimate Statistical Battle to Decide the Football GOAT

Messi’s ability to create goals in addition to scoring them is a critical factor when assessing which player is the greatest of all time. While Ronaldo also contributes to his team’s success, the disparity between the two in terms of assists is notable.

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Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: UEFA Champions League

Cristiano Ronaldo	Champions League stat	Lionel Messi
183	Appearances	163
140	Goals	129
0.77	Goals per game	0.79

As of Champions League games played in 2022-23*

Ronaldo has established himself as the top scorer in the history of the Champions League, particularly during his stints with Manchester United and Real Madrid.

Nonetheless, Messi is not far behind and actually boasts a slightly better goal-per-game ratio, implying that he could surpass the Manchester United legend if he continues to perform well in the competition.

Furthermore, Ronaldo holds the record for the highest number of overall Champions League appearances, a feat he achieved after surpassing Iker Casillas.

Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: FIFA World Cup

Cristiano Ronaldo	World Cup stat	Lionel Messi
22	Appearances	26
8	Goals	13
0.38	Goals per game	0.50

Ronaldo had scored more goals and in fewer appearances than Messi prior to the 2022 World Cup, Messi turned things around in Qatar by guiding his team to the coveted trophy with seven goals and three assists.

Messi scored in every stage of the competition and capped off his exceptional performances with a brace in the final against France, followed by another goal from the penalty spot as Argentina triumphed in a shootout (3-3 AET).

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Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: International Stats

Cristiano Ronaldo	Stat	Lionel Messi
198	International caps	174
122	International goals	102
0.62	Goals per game	0.58

Ronaldo and Messi have comparable records at the international level, but Ronaldo has higher numbers, in part because he started his senior career with Portugal two years before Messi did with Argentina.

At Euro 2020, Ronaldo tied Ali Daei’s record of 109 international goals and then broke it with two goals against the Republic of Ireland, becoming the all-time top scorer at the international level.

While Messi lags far behind Ronaldo in this regard, he is by far Argentina’s all-time leading scorer, surpassing the great Gabriel Batistuta several years ago.

Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: Titles

Cristiano Ronaldo	Competition	Lionel Messi
0	World Cup	1
1	European Championship / Copa America	1
1	Nations League / Finalissima	1
0	Olympics	1
7	League titles	11
5	Champions League	4
4	Club World Cup	3
4	National Cups*	7
22	Total	29

When it comes to their trophy hauls, Messi and Ronaldo are quite evenly matched, but Messi has the edge in terms of domestic league titles, having won La Liga 10 times with Barcelona and Ligue 1 once with PSG. Ronaldo, on the other hand, has won seven league titles, but he can claim to have won in three different countries (England, Spain, and Italy), which some argue increases his claim to the GOAT crown.

However, Ronaldo has an undeniable edge over Messi in the Champions League, earning him the nickname “Mr. Champions League” due to his remarkable performances and numerous titles.

The Manchester United star has also tasted international success with Portugal, winning both the European Championship and the UEFA Nations League.

Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: Individual Honours

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	2
4	UEFA Player of the Year	3
14	FIFPro World XI	14
4	Player of the Year (league)	6

In terms of individual awards, Messi leads Ronaldo with seven Ballon d’Or titles to Ronaldo’s five, but Ronaldo has won more of FIFA’s new ‘The Best‘ awards and has been crowned UEFA Player of the Year more times.

Ronaldo has also won the Player of the Year award in three different countries, which is impressive.

On the other hand, Messi has won more league Player of the Year awards, and he holds the record for the most European Golden Shoe wins with six, two more than Ronaldo. Despite their differences, both players have been included in the FIFPro World XI 14 times, which highlights the fierce competition between them.