Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messi is the greatest rivalry in football history, and though the competition between the two Liga BBVA superstars is not one based on animosity and hatred – as rival fans would like you to believe – the race to be the best in the world is fierce between the Portuguese ace and the Argentine.
Their silverware and individual awards are unmatched, but who is ahead from the two. Here we analyze their records, list of titles and accolades.
Cristiano vs Messi: the never-ending records
The Real Madrid and Barca ace hold several records, and listing them would require a separate article, but here are the two legends’ most eye-popping stats
Ronaldo
- All-time top-scorer in European club competitions (96)
- All-time top-scorer in the Champions League (94)
- All-time top-scorer in a single Champions League or European Cup season (17 in 2013-14)
- All-time leading goalscorer for Real Madrid (360)
- All-time leading goalscorer in La Liga for Real Madrid (256)
Leo
- La Liga all-time top scorer (306)
- La Liga all-time top assist provider (124)
- El Clasico top-scorer (21)
- Most Ballon d’Or wins (5)
- Most goals for club and country in a calendar year (91 in 2012)
- Most goals for all club competitions in a season (73 in 2011-12)
- Most goals in a La Liga season (50 in 2011-12)
Champions League count: Cristiano draws closer to Messi’s tally
Number of UCL wins
Messi: 4
Ronaldo: 3
The Portuguese attacker’s recent win on Saturday saw his tally of Champions League medals shoot up to three, having won the coveted trophy once before with Los Blancos (2014) and another time with Man United (2008).
However, he still trails his Barca counterpart, as La Pulga has won the prize four times in 2006, 2009, 2011, and 2015.
Domestic league: La Pulga doubles Ronnie’s tally
Cristiano: 4 league titles – three Premier League (06/07, 07/08, 08/09) and one La Liga (11/12)
Leo: 8 Liga BBVA titles (04/05, 05/06, 08/09, 09/10, 10/11, 12/13, 14/15, 15/16)
Domestic cups: Ronnie has the upper hand
The Blancos ace has lifted 5 cups in his impressive career, albeit three were during his Old Trafford days, having won the FA Cup (03/04) and two League Cups (05/06 and 08/09). His other two domestic cups came courtesy of Real Madrid’s Copa del Rey wins in 10/11 and 13/14, with the Portuguese ace scoring the winning goal in the earlier of the two triumphs.
La Pulga, on the other hand, is one short of Cristiano’s tally, with four cups under his belt. All four came courtesy of Copa del Rey wins, the most recent being the 2-0 win over Sevilla in this season’s final.
Messi poses with his family after winning his 4th Copa del Rey title
Career goals: Cristiano edges out Messi again
For club:
Cristiano – 487 goals for Sporting Lisbon, Man United, and Real Madrid
Messi – 453 goals for Barca
For country:
Cristiano – 56 goals for Portugal
Messi – 50 goals for Argentina
Goals-per-game: Messi trumps his rival
For club:
Cristiano – 0.72
Messi – 0.85
For country:
Cristiano – 0.45
Messi – 0.47
Given that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner reached his goal tally for club and country in 531 and 107 games respectively, his goal-per-game ratio beats out that of Ronaldo, who took 671 and 125 games to reach his current goal tally for club and country.
