For many years, the football world has had the opportunity to witness the peak performance of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Both have had great success in the teams they play for, as well as possessing countless individual and collective titles throughout their careers.
In this article, The Sporting News will provide the audience with all the parameters and comparisons they need to know about the careers of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
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Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo: Comparison of wins and assists
Statistics as of January 24, 2024
| Lionel Messi | Cristiano Ronaldo | |
| 1047 | Match | 1204 |
| 821 | Goal | 873 |
| 361 | Assist | 9 |
| 57 | Hat-trick | 63 |
| 108 | Penalty* | 161 |
* – does not include penalty shootouts.
Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo: Title comparison
Throughout their careers, both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have brought home many individual and collective titles. Among them, the time both of them played in La Liga and faced off directly in the colors of Real Madrid and Barcelona was the most memorable.
As for Lionel Messi, he and Barcelona have more domestic titles. However, Cristiano Ronaldo is superior in the Champions League with Real Madrid. In terms of the national team, Messi is the name that will win the 2022 World Cup title.
In terms of individual titles, these two players’ race for the Golden Ball over the past nearly 20 years is the most exciting duel in world football history. Ronaldo has 5 Golden Balls, while Messi has been named this title 8 times.
| Title | Messi | Ronaldo |
| National Championship | 12 | 7 |
| Domestic Cup | 15 | 12 |
| Club-level international title | 11 | 12 |
| International title at DT!G level | 1 | 2 |
| Olympics | 1 | 0 |
| Golden Ball | 8 | 5 |
| FIFA World Player of the Year | 1 | 1 |
| FIFA The Best | 3 | 2 |
| World Cup Golden Ball | 2 | 0 |
| European Golden Shoe | 6 | 4 |
Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo: Head-to-head statistics
When Cristiano Ronaldo was still playing for Man United, the two had several occasions to compete in the Champions League. However, the competition increased many times after Ronaldo joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2009.
Since that time, El Clasico has also been a competition between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, attracting the attention of many fans around the world.
At the team level, the two have never had the opportunity to compete in any official tournament. Therefore, both sides have to rely on friendly matches between Argentina and Portugal to serve the fans.
| Tournaments | Match | Messi wins | Ronaldo wins | Draw | Messi’s goal | Ronaldo’s goal |
| The league | 18 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 9 |
| Champions League | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| King’s Cup of Spain | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| Spanish Super Cup | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 4 |
| International friendly | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Club friendly | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Total | 37 | 17 | 11 | 9 | 23 | 23 |
HUGE PRIZES when predicting match results HERE
Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo: Statistics in each match
| Day | Tournaments | Match | Messi | Ronaldo |
| 19/01/2023 | Friendly match | Riyadh Season Team 4-5 PSG | 1 table | 2 tables |
| 09/12/2020 | Champions League | Barcelona 0- 3 Juventus | — | 2 tables |
| 06/05/2018 | The league | Barcelona 2-2 Real Madrid | 1 table | 1 table |
| 23/12/2017 | The league | Real Madrid 0-3 Barcelona | — | 1 goal, 1 assist |
| 13/08/2017 | Spanish Super Cup | Barcelona 1-3 Real Madrid | 1 table | 1 table |
| 23/04/2017 | The league | Real Madrid 2-3 Barcelona | 2 tables | — |
| 03/12/2016 | The league | Barcelona 1-1 Real Madrid | — | — |
| 02/04/2016 | The league | Barcelona 1-2 Real Madrid | — | 1 table |
| 21/11/2015 | The league | Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona | — | — |
| 22/03/2015 | The league | Barcelona 2-1 Real Madrid | 1 assist | 1 table |
| 18/11/2014 | Friendly match | Argentina 0- 1 Portugal | — | — |
| 25/10/2014 | The league | Real Madrid 3-1 Barcelona | — | 1 table |
| 23/03/2014 | The league | Real Madrid 3-4 Barcelona | 3 tables | 1 table |
| 26/10/2013 | The league | Barcelona 2-1 Real Madrid | — | 1 assist |
| 02/03/2013 | The league | Real Madrid 2-1 Barcelona | 1 table | — |
| 26/02/2013 | King’s Cup | Barcelona 1-3 Real Madrid | — | 2 tables |
| 30/01/2013 | King’s Cup | Real Madrid 1-1 Barcelona | 1 assist | — |
| 07/10/2012 | The league | Barcelona 2-2 Real Madrid | 2 tables | 2 tables |
| 29/08/2012 | Spanish Super Cup | Real Madrid 2-1 Barcelona | 1 table | 1 table |
| 22/08/2012 | Spanish Super Cup | Barcelona 3-2 Real Madrid | 1 table | 1 table |
| 21/04/2012 | The league | Barcelona 1-2 Real Madrid | — | 1 table |
| 25/01/2012 | King’s Cup | Barcelona 2-2 Real Madrid | 1 assist | 1 table |
| 18/01/2012 | King’s Cup | Real Madrid 1-2 Barcelona | 1 assist | 1 table |
| 10/12/2011 | The league | Real Madrid 1-3 Barcelona | — | 1 assist |
| 17/08/2011 | Spanish Super Cup | Barcelona 3-2 Real Madrid | 2 goals, 1 assist | 1 table |
| 14/08/2011 | Spanish Super Cup | Real Madrid 2-2 Barcelona | 1 goal, 1 assist | — |
| 03/05/2011 | Champions League | Barcelona 1-1 Real Madrid | — | — |
| 27/04/2011 | Champions League | Real Madrid 0-2 Barcelona | 2 tables | — |
| 20/04/2011 | King’s Cup | Barcelona 0-1 Real Madrid | — | 1 table |
| 16/04/2011 | The league | Real Madrid 1-1 Barcelona | 1 table | 1 table |
| 09/02/2011 | Friendly match | Argentina 2 -1 Portugal | 1 table | 1 table |
| 29/11/2010 | The league | Barcelona 5-0 Real Madrid | 2 assists | — |
| 10/04/2010 | The league | Real Madrid 0-2 Barcelona | 1 table | — |
| 29/11/2009 | The league | Barcelona 1-0 Real Madrid | — | — |
| 27/05/2009 | Champions League | Man United 2-0 Barcelona | 1 table | — |
| 29/04/2008 | Champions League | Man United 1-0 Barcelona | — | — |
| 23/04/2008 | Champions League | Barcelona 0-0 Man United | — | (1 missed penalty shot) |
| Total | 18 wins 24 goals |
12 wins 24 goals |
SEE MORE: Comparing Messi vs Ronaldo in Europe: Who has more goals, assists and titles?
