Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo: From Goals to Records, A Comparison Between Soccer Gods

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, two of the greatest footballers this generation has seen have continued to dominate footballing headlines for more than a decade now. No other player has had such an impact on the pitch for their sides than these two absolute giants of the game. While they continue to dazzle on the pitch, breaking records has become business as usual for them. On March 4, Argentina player Lionel Messi scored his 600th career goal with a sublime freekick against Atletico Madrid in the La Liga match. We simply cannot help but put up the number games involving these two soccer gods and ignite the Messi vs Ronaldo war again!

Some amazing numbers that tell us about the dominance these two have had on the football pitch over the years. Each one outnumbers the other in one or another field. If the 2016 European Championship gave Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo a win with his national side, Lionel Messi failures at two back to back Copa America tournaments and also the 2014 World Cup Final means he is still looking for his first major trophy Country to tick that off his list. In terms of trophies won with Club, Messi clearly leads the way with staggering 30 trophies won with Catalan giants Barcelona while Ronaldo lags behind with 24. These 24 trophies were collected over his time at Manchester United and current club Real Madrid.

The two goals against Getafe recently made Cristiano Ronaldo the fastest player to 300 goals in the Spanish La Liga. Ronaldo achieved the feat in 286 games, 48 fewer than what Lionel Messi took to register the same number of goals. In terms of Champions League football Ronaldo has dragged himself clear of Lionel Messi scoring 117 times for Real Madrid and Manchester United. Messi, on the other hand, has found himself on the scoresheet for Barcelona 98 times in the Champions League. Considering both players were quite close to each other some three ago, Real Madrid’s winning runs in the last two champions league has helped Ronaldo get the better of Lionel Messi.

Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo War in Stats

In terms of individual honours Lionel Messi once lead 4-1 to Cristiano Ronaldo in the number of Ballon d’Or trophy won but Cristiano Ronaldo made a comeback of sorts and they are now tied at five trophies each. When it comes to career assists, Lionel Messi leads the way for both club and country compared to his arch-rival having played 149 games less than him. This is an indication of Messi’s all-round involvement in the game and his stature as more of a playmaker than a striker. Although both are not conventional strikers but their goal scoring records is something out of this world with 1238 combined goals.

The statistics are for the fans and media pundits to compare one with another and the comparisons are not going to end anytime soon. But for the neutrals, the mere presence of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi on the centre stage and dazzling defenders with their skills is a sight that should be cherished while it lasts.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 05, 2018 07:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).