Messi vs Ronaldo – Stats, Leagues, Goals, Awards & Assist

Messi vs Ronaldo is a debate that has raged on for years, and it’s time to take a closer look at the stats to see who comes out on top. In this article, we’ll compare the two superstars across various metrics, from goals and assists to trophies and awards, to determine which Player has the edge. 

So, let’s dive into the Messi vs Ronaldo GOAT debate and see who comes out on top.

Messi vs Ronaldo: Champions Leagues

When it comes to the Champions League, there is perhaps no more incredible rivalry than that between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The two players have been the respective faces of Barcelona and Real Madrid for over a decade and have racked up an impressive number of appearances and goals in the competition.

Messi holds the edge in terms of appearances, with 183 to Ronaldo’s 161. However, Ronaldo scored more goals, with 140 to Messi’s 129. Ronaldo also edges out Messi in terms of goals per game, with a rate of 0.77 to Messi’s 0.8.

While both players have been hugely successful in the Champions League, their records in other competitions are also worth considering. Messi has won 10 La Liga titles and 6 Copas del Rey, while Ronaldo has won 5 Premier League titles and 3 FA Cups. In terms of international trophies, Ronaldo has the edge with 1 World Cup and 1 European Championship, while Messi has yet to win a major international tournament.

Ultimately, both players have had hugely successful careers and are considered among the greatest. However, Messi may have a slight edge over Ronaldo regarding the Champions League.

Champions League stat	Lionel Messi	Cristiano Ronaldo
Appearances	161	183
Goals	129	140
Goals per game	0.8	0.77

Messi vs Ronaldo: Club Goals 

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are two of soccer’s most prolific goal-scorers. They are also two of the most competitive players, often pushing each other to new heights.

Messi has the edge in club goals, scoring over 690 in his career. However, Ronaldo has scored more overall goals, including international goals, and has a higher season average. Messi’s highest season return was 73 goals, while Ronaldo’s was 61.

While Ronaldo’s seasonal totals have declined somewhat in recent years, Messi’s have remained consistent. This is likely due to Messi’s move to Paris Saint-Germain, where he has found consistent success.

Both players have had remarkable careers and show no signs of slowing down. It will be interesting to see how their records develop in the coming years.

Season	Cristiano Ronaldo	Lionel Messi
2002-2003	05	–
2003-2004	06	–
2004-2005	09	01
2005-2006	12	08
2006-2007	23	17
2007-2008	42	16
2008-2009	26	38
2009-2010	33	47
2010-2011	53	53
2011-2012	60	73
2012-2013	55	60
2013-2014	51	41
2014-2015	61	58
2015-2016	51	41
2016-2017	42	54
2017-2018	44	45
2018-2019	28	51
2019-2020	37	31
2020-2021	36	38
2021-2022	24	11
2022-2023	3	12
Total	701	695

Messi vs Ronaldo: Club Assists 

It is well-documented that Lionel Messi has far more assists than Cristiano Ronaldo. In fact, over their careers, Messi has nearly 100 more assists than Ronaldo. This is a testament to Messi’s ability to score goals and create goals for his teammates.

This difference in assists is even starker when looking at their respective clubs. For example, in the 2020-21 season, Messi had 12 assists, while Ronaldo had just 3. This difference is even more evident when looking at their respective careers. Ronaldo has never had more than eight assists in a season, while Messi has had at least 14 assists in 10 seasons.

There are a few factors that contribute to this difference. 

First, Messi is a more creative player. He is often the one who comes up with the ideas and vision for how to attack. This is in contrast to Ronaldo, who is more of a finisher. 

Second, Messi has played with better players throughout his career. He has been surrounded by world-class talent like Xavi, Iniesta, and Suarez, who have contributed to his success. 

Third, Messi has played in a more offensive system than Ronaldo. Messi has spent his career in a system that emphasizes attacking and scoring goals, while Ronaldo has spent much of his career in a more conservative system focused on defence.

While several factors contribute to the difference in assists between Messi and Ronaldo, there is no doubt that Messi is the superior playmaker. He has repeatedly proven that he can score goals and create them for his teammates. In doing so, he has cemented his place as one of the greatest players most eminently.

Season	Lionel Messi	Cristiano Ronaldo
2002-2003	0	4
2003-2004	0	6
2004-2005	0	8
2005-2006	3	8
2006-2007	3	14
2007-2008	13	7
2008-2009	17	9
2009-2010	11	8
2010-2011	23	16
2011-2012	29	15
2012-2013	15	12
2013-2014	14	14
2014-2015	27	21
2015-2016	23	15
2016-2017	16	11
2017-2018	18	8
2018-2019	19	10
2019-2020	25	5
2020-2021	12	5
2021-2022	14	3
2022-2023	14	2
Total	296	201

Messi vs Ronaldo: Individual Awards 

For the past ten years and longer, Ronaldo and Messi’s competition for first place has been the centrepiece of modern football. When Messi won his sixth Ballon d’Or in 2019, he overtook Ronaldo in the race and solidified his position as the winner in that category with his seventh in 2021.

It goes without saying that Ronaldo has been recognized as Player of the Year in England, Spain, and Italy. In total, Messi has won the European Golden Shoe six times, two more than Ronaldo, and is just slightly ahead of his adversary. However, the 14 occasions they both have appeared on the FIFPro World XI show how closely the fight has been contested.

It is challenging to pick one Player above the other when they have both seen such tremendous success. If we closely examine their team trophies, though, a clear victor becomes apparent. In contrast to Ronaldo, who has only won two championships, Messi has played on teams that have won four.

The winner is starting to become evident now that Messi has also won the Copa. In contrast to Ronaldo, who has only won two championships, Messi has played on teams that have won four. Ronaldo has never prevailed in a significant international competition, but Messi has already won Copa America.

So while both players have had remarkable individual careers, it is clear that Messi has been the more successful team player. This may be because Messi has always played for Barcelona, one of the strongest teams in the globe, while Ronaldo has spent time at some of the less competitive clubs like Juventus and Real Madrid. 

But Messi is simply a better team player than Ronaldo. Either way, the success of both players is undeniable, and they will continue to be remembered as two of the greatest footballers.

Award	Lionel Messi	Cristiano Ronaldo
Ballon d’Or	7	5
The Best FIFA Men’s Player	1	2
European Golden Shoe	6	4
World Cup Golden Ball	2	0
UEFA Player of the Year	3	4
FIFPro World XI	14	14
Player of the Year (league)	6	4

Ronaldo Vs Messi: Titles 

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are two of the most successful and decorated soccer players. They have won numerous individual and team awards, including multiple league titles, Champions League titles, and Club World Cup titles. They are the only two players to have won the prestigious Ballon d’Or award multiple times.

Messi has won more league championships, including La Liga 10 times with Barcelona and Ligue 1 once with PSG, even though Ronaldo and Messi have similar prize totals. Despite winning the league in three separate nations (England, Spain, and Italy), Ronaldo only has seven league titles, which some believe gives him an advantage over Messi as the most eminent player.

Given that Ronaldo has been named “Mr Champions League” due to his notable performance in the competition, he has an advantage over Messi in the Champions League. With Portugal, Ronaldo has also had considerable success on the international scene, taking home the UEFA Nations League and European Championship titles.

Early in his international career, Messi and Argentina had four disappointing Copa America campaigns, three of which resulted in losses in the championship game. But in 2021, he managed to obtain the Copa.

Competition	Lionel Messi	Cristiano Ronaldo
World Cup	1	0
European Championship / Copa America	1	1
Nations League / Finalissima	1	1
Olympics	1	0
League titles	11	7
Champions League	04	05
Club World Cup	03	04
National Cups*	07	04
Total	29	22

Ronaldo Vs Messi: World Cup 

These two athletes have achieved greatness that is rarely seen in any sport. They are considered among the greatest soccer players.

While they both have a tremendous amount of talent, they have also had different levels of success when it comes to the World Cup. Messi has been able to lead his country to victory on multiple occasions, while Ronaldo has yet to taste victory in the globe Cup.

Despite this, Ronaldo still managed to put up impressive numbers in the World Cup. He has appeared in 22 matches and has scored eight goals. On the other hand, Messi has played in 26 matches and scored 13 goals.

Regarding goals per game, Messi holds the advantage with a 0.50 average, compared to Ronaldo’s 0.38. This shows that, while Ronaldo has been able to score a good number of goals in the globe Cup, Messi has been more consistent in finding the back of the net.

One thing that has separated Messi from Ronaldo is his ability to perform in the most significant moments. Messi has been at his best when the stakes are at their highest. This was displayed in the 2022 World Cup, where he led Argentina to victory with seven goals and three assists.

On the other hand, Ronaldo has yet to replicate that same level of success in the globe Cup. The furthest he has ever gotten was in 2006 when Portugal reached the semi-final.

While Ronaldo is an incredible soccer player, he has yet to reach the level of success in the globe Cup that Messi has. This is likely due to Messi’s superior ability to perform in the most significant moments.

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

Ronaldo Vs Messi Social Media Statistics 

Messi vs Ronaldo is a trendy topic on social media, with both players having many followers on both Instagram and Facebook. However, Twitter is where Ronaldo shines, with over 106.7 million followers. This is likely because Twitter is a more global platform; therefore, more people are exposed to Ronaldo’s tweets.

So, what does this all mean? We can see that both players are top-rated on social media and that they both have a large number of fans. However, Ronaldo has a slight edge regarding Twitter. 

Players	Instagram Followers	Facebook Followers	Twitter Followers
Messi	425M	113M	–
Ronaldo	540M	161M	106.7M

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Wrapping Up -The Final Winner

There is no doubt that both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are two of the greatest footballers. They have achieved a lot in their careers and broken numerous records.

When it comes to social media, Ronaldo is the clear winner. He has more followers on both Instagram and Twitter and is more active on social media than Messi.

When it comes to goalscoring, Messi is slightly ahead of Ronaldo. He has a better goalscoring record than Ronaldo and has been involved in more goals for his teammates.

However, Ronaldo has more of an impact on the game than Messi. He is better at creating goalscoring opportunities for himself and is more accurate with his shots.

It is ultimately up to the person to determine which football player they believe is superior. Since both athletes possess unique talents and capabilities, there is no obvious winner.

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