The current generation has been witness to two gods of football namely Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Ever since the two footballers made the spotlight, they have been the main topic of discussion, and every football fan across the globe debates about who is better, who is the best, and the list goes on. In this article, we will help you get a better picture of the stats of Messi Vs Ronaldo. Furthermore, we will compare the two legends right from their youth till now and also look at their achievement to date and by the end of it, you can answer the debate yourself.
Discovering Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi joined his local team Newell Old Boys at the age of 6 and never stopped impressing people with his phenomenal talent ever since. During the 6 years he played at Newell’s, he scored 500 goals which was an outstanding statistic for a boy so young. However, as the footballing phenom was only getting better at the sport, he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency. Seeking medical treatment became difficult for the rising star from Rosario. It was difficult for Messi’s father to pay $1,000 per month for his treatment and things looked bad for the Argentine.
However, in 2000 luck changed for the little boy from Rosario. Lionel Messi impressed the staff in a trial with Barcelona and the director immediately wanted to sign the wonder-kid and Messi signed his first contract on a paper napkin with Barcelona. Subsequently, in 2001 Leo and his family left for Barcelona and moved into an apartment outside the renowned Camp Nou. Lionel Messi played his first full season with Barcelona’s youth team in 2002 and was the top scorer with 36 goals to his name. This was just the start of an outstanding career ahead of the Argentine superstar and the rest is history.
The Big Break For Cristiano Ronaldo
In contrast to the story of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo wasn’t discovered from the very start of his football career. Cristiano played for a few local clubs in Madeira before he joined Sporting CP at the age of 12. At the age of 14, Cristiano made up his mind about leaving his education and focusing on football 100 percent. He believed he had the ability to make it big in football. However, similar to Leo, Ronaldo was also diagnosed with a condition. Ronaldo was diagnosed with a racing heart that could potentially end the Portuguese superstar’s career. However, he underwent surgery and resumed training like nothing was wrong at all.
Ronaldo’s big break came when Sporting CP played against the English giant’s Manchester United in 2003. The entire Manchester team loved Cristiano’s ability to dribble and take on defenders. Soon after the game, they pleaded Sir Alex (Manchester United’s Manager) to sign him immediately. Subsequently, Ronaldo took the biggest step he had ever taken in his career and he just skyrocketed from there.
Messi Vs Ronaldo Stats For Their Clubs
Statistics | Lionel Messi | Cristiano Ronaldo |
---|---|---|
Goals | 634 | 638 |
Assists | 256 | 195 |
Appearances | 731 | 850 |
Firstly, Messi has been a one-team player ever since he started his professional footballing career and the stats shown above are of his time in Barcelona. Since his debut with the Spanish giants, Lionel Messi has scored an outstanding 634 goals from 731 appearances. Leo has 256 assists to his name to date. Moreover, 444 goals out of the 634 are just from the La Liga itself. Additionally, Messi has scored 115 goals from 143 appearances in the UEFA champions league making him the second-highest champions league goalscorer behind Cristiano Ronaldo.
In contrast to Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo has been a part of 4 top clubs, and his stats are distributed among them. Firstly, at his time in Sporting CP, he scored 5 goals and assisted thrice in 31 appearances. After that when he moved to England, Cristiano slammed the ball in the net 118 times and provided 69 assists from 292 appearances for Manchester United. Later, he joined Real Madrid and scored almost 4 times the number of goals he scored for United. Additionally, in his 438 appearances, he doubled his number of assists as well compared to his time in England. Very recently after joining Juventus, he has recorded 66 goals and 19 assists from 90 appearances.
Just by looking at the club statistics, one can see how close the competition is and how difficult it is to choose a winner from Messi Vs Ronaldo. Leo and Cristiano just have a difference of 4 goals between them.
Ronaldo Vs Messi International Stats
Statistics | Lionel Messi | Cristiano Ronaldo |
---|---|---|
Goals | 70 | 101 |
Assists | 47 | 40 |
Caps | 138 | 165 |
When it comes to international stats Cristiano Ronaldo takes the lead in terms of the number of goals scored. On the other hand, Lionel Messi has 7 assists more than the Portuguese skipper. Cristiano Ronaldo recently achieved his 100th goal milestone for Portugal in his 2020 Nations League game against Sweden.
Messi Vs Ronaldo Trophies Won
To begin with, Cristiano has won the UEFA Champions League 5 times in his career, 4 times with his former club Real Madrid and 1 time with Manchester United. Furthermore, he has won 4 Club World Cups and 3 UEFA Super Cups. In his time at Manchester, he won the Premier League 3 times, the English League Cup and Community Shield twice, and the FA Cup once. Then at Real Madrid, he won the La Liga, Copa Del Rey, and Spanish Super Cup two times each. Recently in the last 2 years, he won the Serie A twice and the Italian Super Cup once with Juventus. Furthermore, Cristiano has won the UEFA Nations League and European Champions Cup 1 time each with Portugal.
Lionel Messi has won the La Liga 10 times with FC Barcelona. Furthermore, he has won the Champion League 4 times in his career. Additionally, Messi has won the Spanish Super Cup 8 times and the Copa Del Ray 6 times. Also, he has won the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup 3 times each. Furthermore, Messi has won the Under-20 World cup and an Olympic Gold with Argentina.
To sum up, when it comes to Messi Vs Ronaldo in terms of trophies, Messi has won more titles than Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi Vs Ronaldo Individual Awards
Awards | Lionel Messi | Cristiano Ronaldo |
---|---|---|
Ballon D’or | x6 | x5 |
FIFA Mens Best Player | x6 | x5 |
UEFA Best Player In Europe | x2 | x3 |
Top Scorer | x19 | x17 |
Player Of The Year | x10 | x5 |
Firstly, Messi has won the Ballon D’or for a record 6 times which gives him a slight upper hand over Ronaldo who has won the prestigious award 5 times. Furthermore, Ronaldo has won the FIFA Men’s Best player 5 times and Messi 6 times. The Argentine skipper has been Player of the year 10 times in contrast to Ronaldo who has been Player of the year 5 times. Furthermore, Leo has been the top scorer 19 times whereas Cristiano has been the top scorer 17 times.
In conclusion, Messi has won more number of individual awards as compared to Ronaldo.
Ronaldo Vs Messi Records
Messi not only holds the record for the most number of Ballon D’ors (6) but also the most number of FIFA World Player of the Year (10) and most FIFA Best Player awards (6). Furthermore, he is the undisputed goalscoring machine of La Liga and holds the record for most goals (444). Additionally, he holds the record for the most number of goals in the Spanish Super Cup (14) and the UEFA Super Cup (3) as well. Click here to read the entire list of awards won by the Argentine skipper.
On the other hand, Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t short of breaking records himself, he holds the record for the most number of champions league goals (130). Furthermore, he holds the record for the most number of Ballon D’ors (5) for a European player. Also, he holds the record for the most number of Club World Cup goals (7) as well as the most number of Champions League goals in a single season (17) and the list of awards goes on.
Click here to read the entire list of awards won by Cristiano Ronaldo.
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FAQs Regarding Messi Vs Ronaldo
Lionel Messi is faster when it comes to short sprints and quick changes in direction whereas Ronaldo is known for his long runs and as he can really pick up the pace over a distance.
Messi is regarded as the god of football as most times he is said to be a player out of this world due to his supreme talent and mind-blowing skills.
Cristiano Ronaldo is the richest footballer to date with a net worth of $450 million. Cristiano earns a lot of his money through the major sponsorship deals and brands that he endorses.
While Ronaldo is exceptionally good at dribbling the ball, Messi is better because of his ability to change the direction of his runs at great speeds which leave defenders stunned while trying to defend against him.
Editor’s Note | Messi Vs Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have established themselves as legends of the current football era and also legends in the history of football. Moreover, both of them are equally gifted and phenomenal in the sport of football and it is difficult to choose one over the other. Furthermore, both of the players have a cut-throat competition statistically as well. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will both go down as the greatest players to have ever played the sport. Moreover, despite age catching up both the players seem to be aging like wine and getting better as they grow older. To sum up, in my opinion, both the players are extremely talented individuals and hopefully, after reading the article you can pick whos side you want to be on.