Arguably the two biggest sporting greats of all time Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have graced the football field for over 15 years now. Know about the Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Head-to-Head stats comparison, world cup goals, records and who is best
Football fans around the world get divided into two parts when it comes to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. These 2 players had a great influence on the fans and the footballing world for over a decade.
One plays for Portugal and the other leads the line of Argentina. There has been an age-old debate about who is a better player between both of them. To make that debate a little easier for the fans we have compared the stats of both the greats of the game.
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi Who Is Best, Head To Head Record, World Cup Goals And Stats List
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi Playing attribute comparison
The quality of both the players is uncommon to each other. Cristiano is more of a born goalscorer while Messi is someone who can score goals and can even play as a playmaker in the middle of the pitch.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Playing style
Ronaldo has got the most lethal header in the world. He is the most dangerous player in aerial plays. His acrobatic goals are also an example of his unreal physicality. At his peak time, Ronaldo used to score a lot of goals outside of the box with unreal power. He mastered the skill of stepover and scissor feint at a very young age.
Portuguese International also got a trademark on the special of chopping that people even call it ‘the Ronaldo chop’. The former Real Madrid legend can score with his both feet seemingly well while Messi is more left-footed.
Lionel Messi’s Playing style
The Argentian is probably the best dribbler of all time. His ball control and the ability to body feint make him even more lethal. Messi’s left foot is soo good that even Ronaldo was also in awe of it and he claimed it in an interview.
The former Barcelona captain has the ability to switch from scorer to provider if the needs. Messi can play as a center forward, right winger, and even as a central attacking midfielder.
It won’t be fair to say who is better in Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi by comparing their playing attributes. Let’s compare the stats of the two greats.
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi Who is Better?
League stat comparison
Cristiano started his club career at Sporting CP and then he moved to the English club Manchester United for £12.25m. In 2009 Ronaldo signed a whopping deal of £ 80 million with the Spanish giants Real Madrid where Ronaldo tasted his major success. Then in 2018, Ronaldo made a brave move of leaving Real Madrid for the Italian club Juventus. In 2021 Ronaldo decided to reunite with Manchester United.
Lionel Messi played the majority of his career in Barcelona. He debuted in Barcelona in 2005 and till 2021 he stayed there. In 2021 the magical Leo joined PSG for free.
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: World Cup stats.
| Cristiano Ronaldo | World Cup stat | Lionel Messi |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | Appearances | 23 |
| 8 | Goals | 9 |
| 0.4 | Goals per game | 0.39 |
Club Goals comparison
| 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 |
| 3 | 2022-23 | 12 |
| 701 | Total | 695 |
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 | 29 |
| 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 |
| 2 | 2022-23 | 14 |
| 201 | Total | 296 |
Champions League stats comparison
When it comes to the Champions League there is no player bigger than Ronaldo.
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Champions League stat | Lionel Messi |
|---|---|---|
| 183 | Appearances | 161 |
| 140 | Goals | 129 |
| 0.77 | Goals per game | 0.8 |
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: International stats
Both Messi and Ronaldo have been equally good for their national teams.
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Stat | Lionel Messi |
|---|---|---|
| 194 | International caps | 169 |
| 118 | International goals | 94 |
| 0.61 | Goals per game | 0.55 |
Individual awards comparison
| 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 |