If you ever find yourself in a heated football debate, and someone asks you to pick between the two best of all time, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, your answer should be quick. Yet it's not just your opinion that counts, you also need to know who can back up their claim to being the GOAT with actual facts. That's why we've found stats from more than 380 games for both players so that you can make an informed decision.
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There are plenty of reasons why people think Cristiano Ronaldo is better or Lionel Messi is better but numbers don't lie! So without further ado let's look at their stats and performance.
Lionel Messi's stats:
Lionel Messi has been playing professionally since he was part of the (then) F.C. Barcelona youth system at age of 13 and has won five La Liga titles and four Copa del Rey titles in his career with the club. He also has a Champions League title and World Player of the Year award to his name as well as three Ballon d'Ors (two for club and one for country). His total of eight trophies puts him second all-time behind only Real Madrid icon Alfredo di Stefano who had 11 trophies at the same age (with nine trophies achieved by Ronaldo).
Ronaldo's stats:
Cristiano Ronaldo was born on February 5th, 1985, which makes his birthday a double one. He is a World Cup winner with both the Portuguese national team and the Portuguese club F.C. Porto. He has won six La Liga titles over the course of his career with F.C. Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Portugal, as well as one Champions League title and one UEFA Super Cup title in his time at the club, which puts him tied for second all-time along with club teammate Zinedine Zidane when it comes to La Liga trophies won at Barcelona. He also has one World Player of the Year award, three Ballon d'Ors, and two European Golden Shoe awards to his name.
What does the stat analysis say?
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have a very even head-to-head record — up until the point that Ronaldo's form took a dip in 2011. Ronaldo went on to win La Liga in '11, while Messi did not win it any other year. Messi has won two out of six El Clasicos.
While Ronaldo has won three out of four. Since then, though, both Ronaldo and Messi have been at their best. Ronaldo has won the Ballon d'Or three out of four times. He is the first and only player to achieve this feat. Messi went on to win the Ballon d'Or in four out of six years. No one had ever achieved this before Cristiano Ronaldo did it in 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. The two players hold a very even head-to-head record from 2011 until 2017 (La Liga).
In 2010, Lionel Messi was voted FIFPro Player of the Year for the second time in his career (he was also named as FIFPro Player of the Year in 2009). Cristiano Ronaldo later won the FIFA Ballon d'Or and UEFA Best Player in Europe Award in 2013 (beating Messi to it). Messi, on the other hand, went on to win FIFA Ballon d'Or in 2015 and became the first player to win FIFA Ballon d'Or 5 times. Both players had an extremely successful 2015 season. Ronaldo won two out of six El Clasicos (he also failed to make the final of the Champions League for the second year running) while Messi failed to win La Liga for the second year in a row. Both players have gone on to retain their Ballon d'Or titles for the next two years.
Cristiano Ronaldo has failed to win La Liga in 2014 and 2015 despite having an extremely prolific goal-scoring record. He shared the top goalscorer spot with Messi, who went on to win La Liga.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi had his worst season in a Barcelona shirt yet he still managed to finish second in the race for La Liga. The following year, Cristiano Ronaldo finished as Champions League runner-up (he failed to make it past the semifinals). Lionel Messi was out with injury and could not feature in any of Barcelona's European fixtures — their campaign ended at the quarterfinal stage to Atletico Madrid.
That was the exclusive Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo statistical analysis.
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: Club assists
When it comes to helping, Lionel Messi is much higher than Cristiano Ronaldo and that difference is growing bigger as their roles change.
| 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 |
| In progress | 2020-21 | In progress |
The fact that Messi creates a lot of goals and scores them is a big factor when determining which player is GOAT and, while Ronaldo comes in with his fair share, the difference in this particular area is clear.
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: Club goals
The debate on who is the better player, Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, has been going on for years. As both players set records and break benchmarks, so does this argument. Here is a side-by-side look at their club goals to date.
Both of these soccer stars have scored incredible goals in their time with club teams and playing for their national squads. The determining factor in who is the better player will ultimately come down to which team puts them in the best position to win.
| 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 |
| In progress | 2020-21 | In progress |
Ronaldo has scored more goals for the club than Messi, but only and it should be noted that the Juventus star benefits by playing two more seasons than his Argentine nemesis so far.
Each of them has netted more than 630 club goals in his career so far, five seasons between 2009-10 and 2014-15 proving to be gold especially as they push each other up to the heights.
While Ronaldo currently has the most goals in total, Messi is at the top of the scoring charts, with the highest level of the season (40 to 35), having scored 73 top goals in 2011-12.
Ronaldo's highest-return season was 61, he scored in 2014-15 and skipped the 50-goal mark every season for six years between 2010-11 and 2015-16.
Interestingly, while Ronaldo's total season has dropped somewhat in recent years - he failed to break the 30-goal mark in 2018-19 in his first season at Juventus - Messi's consistency remains the same.
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: Goals for national teams
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 108 goals in 159 games for Portugal. He was a member of the Portugal team that won Euro 2004 and also captained his country during this successful campaign. In 2009 he became only the third player to ever score three goals in a World Cup finals match with his brace against Egypt and also second with five goals at the Euros in 2008. He scored his first international hat trick against Azerbaijan in 2010. He has also been a key figure in the Portugal side that qualified for Euro 2008 and 2012.
Messi just finished his fifth year with Argentina, one of the most decorated teams in world football. He has played over 100 games with this squad and was selected as their captain during the 2010 World Cup. He scored his first goal for the national team against Colombia on January 2, 2007, and he scored all three of their goals against Brazil in a 3-0 victory on 6 June 2010. In May 2011, Messi led Argentina to the 12th title in World Cup history; scoring five goals and giving one assist during the tournament.
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: Champions League
When it comes to world cups, Ronaldo and Messi are considered to be underperforming, and perhaps for good reason.
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Champions League | Lionel Messi |
|---|---|---|
| 173 | Appearances | 146 |
| 132 | Goals | 118 |
| 0.76 | Goals per game | 0.8 |
Portugal star Ronaldo has scored the most goals in the tournament with few appearances, but Messi could say he has come a long way, having reached the final with Argentina in 2014. glory in the hands of Germany.
Ronaldo reached out to Portugal in the run-up to the 2006 semi-final against Selecao, when they were beaten by France before losing to third-placed qualifiers against Germany.
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: World Cup
When it comes to world cups, both Ronaldo and Messi are considered to be underperforming, and perhaps for good reason.
| Cristiano Ronaldo | World Cup | Lionel Messi |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | Appearances | 19 |
| 7 | Goals | 6 |
| 0.4 | Goals per game | 0.3 |
Portugal star Ronaldo has scored the most goals in the tournament with few appearances, but Messi could say he has come a long way, having reached the final with Argentina in 2014. glory in the hands of Germany.
Ronaldo reached out to Portugal in the run-up to the 2006 semi-final against Selecao, when they were beaten by France before losing to third-placed qualifiers against Germany.
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: International statistics
Ronaldo and Messi have similar world-class records, although Ronaldo has great numbers, in part because his great Portuguese career began two years before Messi and Argentina.
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Statistics | Lionel Messi |
|---|---|---|
| 170 | International caps | 142 |
| 102 | International goals | 71 |
| 0.6 | Goals per game | 0.5 |
Ronaldo closes the record with Ali Daei's record of 109 goals overseas and is likely to become the world's top scorer before hanging up his shoes.
Messi is far from Ronaldo in that problem, although he is far from the top scorer in Argentina, surpassing Gabriel Batistuta some years ago.
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: Titles
Messi and Ronaldo have very similar medals, but Messi breaks things down when it comes to league titles, having won La Liga 10 times with Barcelona.
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Competition | Lionel Messi |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | World Cup | 0 |
| 1 | European Championship / Copa America | 0 |
| 0 | Olympics | 1 |
| 7 | League titles | 10 |
| 5 | Champions League | 4 |
| 4 | Club World Cup | 3 |
| 3 | National Cups* | 6 |
| 20 | Total | 24 |
*Here, the National Cups refers to the country's biggest national cup competition only, e.g. FA Cup, Copa del Rey, etc.
Ronaldo has seven league titles, but unlike Messi, he can claim to have won the league in three different countries (England, Spain, and Italy) - something that adds to his claim for the GoAT crown in the eyes of others.
Ronaldo is on the verge of Messi in the Champions League, his love and competition earning him the moniker 'Mr. Champions League. The former Manchester United star also achieved significant international success, winning the European Championship and the UEFA Nations League.
Messi, on the other hand, has endured much pain with Argentina, with four unsuccessful Copa America campaigns, three of which saw them lose the final. Although no one has won a World Cup, Messi has an Olympic gold medal.
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: Individual awards
The personal battle between Ronaldo and Messi has been a defining feature of modern football for the past decade or so.
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Award | Lionel Messi |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Ballon d'Or | 6 |
| 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 |
| 13 | FIFPro World XI | 13 |
| 4 | Player of the Year (league) | 6 |
Messi advanced to Ronaldo at the Ballon d'Or when he won for the sixth time in 2019 and looks set to stay ahead, as the 2020 prize has been canceled due to the coronavirus epidemic, meaning Ronaldo's next chance to win is 2021 when he will be almost 37.
Ronaldo boasts the new FIFA awards' 'The Best' and has been named UEFA Player of the Year, but Messi has won many League of the Year awards. Well, it has to be said that Ronaldo has won the World Player of the Year award in England, Spain, and Italy.
Messi holds the record six times in the European Golden Shoe, which is twice the number of Ronaldo and looks forward to his overall rival, but the fact that they have both been in the FIFPro World XI 13 times is an example of a close fight.'
Hence, this is a never-ending debate of which is the great player. However, these stats will help you a lot in choosing the GOAT between these two legends. Both the players dominate the ground when they enter the field and both of them have unique skill sets of which we all are aware. Hence, both the players are legends of Football.
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