Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo Statistics & All Time Records Compared

 Who is a better footballer of all time Messi or Ronaldo? Here’s the statistical comparison between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo Records, Career Stats, All-time Goals, Red Cards, Hattricks and Awards Comparision. One of the most asked question in the football world is who the better football player between Messi vs Ronaldo. No doubt they both are best footballers on the planet right now and it is our the privilege that we watching them playing in the same era. Both have won combined eight FIFA Ballon d’Or awards and has many individual achievements under their belts. But sports fans and journalists always debate on a question – who is the best player in football?

Both Messi and Ronaldo have scored more than 500 goals in their careers for club and country. Ronaldo himself once asked this question and in reply, he had said, “You cannot compare a Ferrari with a Porsche because both have a different engine.” But we tried to find who is a better player by comparing them to each other on the basis of their careers stats and records. Let’s find the answer to this million-dollar question.

Messi vs Ronaldo Records

Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo Statistics

DetailsLionel MessiCristiano Ronaldo
Date of birth24 June 19875 February 1985
Height1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight67 kg (148 lbs)84 kg (186 lbs)
Hattricks5154
Goals671696
Ballon d’Or wins 5 wins (2017, 2016, 2014, 2013, 2008) 5 wins (2017, 2016, 2014, 2013, 2008)
The Best Fifa Men’s Player5 wins (2015, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009)1 win (2019)

Cristiano Ronaldo is more athletic which makes him more professional compared to Messi and has the ability to score all type of goals. On the other hand, Messi is better at building up attacks and can find that killer pass which can split even hard rock defences of the opposition team. There is no doubt that both are the greatest players in the football world but the question is who is better Messi or Ronaldo? So, let see their clubs and international statistics.

2020 Club Statistics

  • Ronaldo (Juventus): 5 appearances, 2 goals, 1 assist
  • Messi for (Barcelona): 3 appearances, 0 goals, 1 assist

Messi vs Ronaldo Records

All-time career (excluding club friendlies)

  • Ronaldo: 696 goals and 219 assists in 969 appearances
  • Messi: 671 goals and 273 assists in 826 appearances
  • Hat-tricks: Ronaldo 54; Messi 51
  • Career goal ratio: Ronaldo 0.72; Messi 0.82
  • Penalties: Ronaldo 112 (23 missed); Messi 84 (25 missed)

Club career (excluding friendlies)

  • Ronaldo: 603 goals and 191 assists in 809 appearances
  • Messi: 603 goals and 232 assists in 690 appearances
  • Hat-tricks: Ronaldo 46; Messi 45
  • Club goal ratio: Ronaldo 0.75; Messi 0.88
  • Penalties: Ronaldo 103 (17 missed); Messi 70 (22 missed)

International career (friendly and competitive matches)

  • Ronaldo: 93 goals and 28 assists in 160 appearances for Portugal
  • Messi: 68 goals and 41 assists in 136 appearances for Argentina
  • Hat-tricks: Ronaldo 8; Messi 6
  • International goal ratio: Ronaldo 0.58; Messi 0.50
  • Penalties: Ronaldo 9 (6 missed); Messi 14 (3 missed)

From the above stats, it is clear that Lionel Messi has the slightly better goal to game ratio than Ronaldo. Where Messi taking 0.82 matches to score 1 goal while Ronaldo taking 0.72 matches to score 1 goal.

Messi vs Ronaldo Team Honours

 Lionel MessiCristiano Ronaldo
2003-04 FA Cup
2004-05La Liga 
2005-06Champions League, La Liga, Spanish Super CupLeague Cup
2006-07Spanish Super CupPremier League
2007-08Olympic GoldChampions League, Premier League, Community Shield
2008-09Champions League, La Liga, Copa del ReyPremier League, League Cup, Club World Cup, Community Shield
2009-10La Liga, Uefa Super Cup, Spanish Super Cup, Club World Cup 
2010-11Champions League, La Liga, Spanish Super CupCopa del Rey
2011-12Copa del Rey, Uefa Super Cup, Spanish Super Cup, Club World CupLa Liga
2012-13La LigaSpanish Super Cup
2013-14Spanish Super CupChampions League, Copa del Rey
2014-15La Liga, Copa del Rey, Champions LeagueUefa Super Cup, Club World Cup
2015-16La Liga, Uefa Super Cup, Club World Cup, Copa del ReyUefa Championship, Campions League, Euro 2016
2016-17Spanish Super CupUefa Super Cup
Total Trophies3021

Messi has won four Champions League titles as Barcelona player while his rival Ronaldo has won the Champions League thrice, one with Manchester United and twice with Real Madrid. He has won a premier league total four times – thrice with Manchester United and once with Real Madrid while Messi has won eight La Liga titles with Barcelona.

Messi has amazing club record but failed to repeat this in international tournaments. Meanwhile, Ronaldo has played well in the international competitions and finished once as runner-up (Euro 2004) and recently won Euro 2016 with Portugal.

World Cup Records: Messi vs Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo World Cup goals

  • 2006: 1
  • 2010: 1
  • 2014: 1
  • 2018: 4

Lionel Messi World Cup goals

  • 2006: 1
  • 2010: 0
  • 2014: 4
  • 2018: 1

Messi vs Ronaldo Individual Honours

 Lionel MessiCristiano Ronaldo
2003-04  
2004-05  
2005-06  
2006-07 PFA Young Player of the Year
2007-08 European Golden Shoe, Premier League Golden Boot, Champions League Top Scorer, Uefa Club Footballer of the Year
2008-09 Ballon d’Or, Champions League Top Scorer
2009-10Ballon d’Or, European Golden Shoe, La Liga Top ScorerChampions League Top Scorer
2010-11Ballon d’Or, Uefa Best Player in Europe AwardEuropean Golden Shoe, La Liga Top Scorer, Champions League Top Scorer
2011-12Ballon d’Or, European Golden Shoe, La Liga Top ScorerChampions League Top Scorer
2012-13Ballon d’Or, European Golden Shoe, La Liga Top ScorerChampions League Top Scorer
2013-14 Ballon d’Or, European Golden Shoe, Champions League Top Scorer, La Liga Top Scorer, Uefa Best Player in Europe Award
2014-15World Cup Golden Ball, Champions League Top Scorer (tied), Uefa Best Player in Europe AwardBallon d’Or, European Golden Shoe, La Liga Top Scorer, Champions League Top Scorer (tied)
2015-16Ballon d’OrUefa Best Player in Europe Award

Messi has many individual records including the most number of Ballon d’Or awards which is five times. He holds the Guinness World Record for scoring the most number of goals (91) in a year.

Ronaldo is the only player to win the European Golden Shoe award playing for two different clubs and the only one to win it four times. He would have won many awards if they were introduced earlier. Don’t forget, he is the fastest Real Madrid player to reach 50, 100, 150, 200 as well as 250 club goals in the club’s history.

Ronaldo vs Messi Red cards 

Ronaldo has got a red card 11 times in his career which includes once for Juventus, six for Real Madrid and four cards for Manchester United while mess got only two red cards in his entire career.

Messi vs Ronaldo Final Result

Rating: Ronaldo: 8/10 Messi: 8.5/10

So now we have quite a clear image, Messi has achieved everything a football can dream of and he is two years younger than Cristiano Ronaldo. He has won Champions League titles, FIFA player of the year awards and he is behind Ronaldo with few goals with more assists. He has broken almost all big scoring records.

CONCLUSION: According to the above stats between Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo, records and honours, Lionel Messi is a slightly better player than Ronaldo not just in terms of record but also as a team player.

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