The world's greatest footballers - but who's the best?
The battle of Messi vs Ronaldo has the world gripped.
In this website, they go head to head in terms of goals, stats, achievements, abilities and much more.
Always up-to-date, reliable and accurate, this is your main port of call to see who's currently leading the constant back-and-forth battle for the golden boot.
You only have to head over to our Records page to see the staggering extent to which Messi and Ronaldo are rewriting the footballing record books (but don’t do that yet because that would be cheating!). Their relentless, prolific goalscoring has seen them eclipse past greats of the game, such as Gerd Muller, Alfredo Di Stefano and Telmo Zarra. But how well have you been keeping track of their record breaking? Take the quiz below to find out just how clued up you are!
Barcelona may be in free fall after losing their fourth game in just 16 days last night (and off the back of a record breaking 39 game unbeaten run, too), but amongst the disarray, Lionel Messi did still manage to reach another famous landmark in his glittering goalscoring career, as he notched goal number 500 for club and country.
Messi hadn’t scored or assisted for Barcelona in 5 full games, one of the most barren spells of his career, so although he couldn’t salvage a result for his team, this is at least one mounting pressure that has now been alleviated.
Leo will no doubt be in no mood for celebrating this achievement at present, but it’s too big a landmark for us to let pass by. So in this post, you will find a bumper collection of varied statistical breakdowns of Messi’s 500 career goals; from his favourite opponents to his favourite time to score.
All of the below stats are correct as of 18th April 2016. And by the way, Ronaldo broke the 500 career goals barrier in October 2015, earlier this season.
Messi’s 500 Goals – The Key Stats
Barcelona
Argentina
Total
Goals
450
50
500
Games
525
107
632
Assists
170
31
201
Hat-tricks
35
3
38
Penalties
53
11
64
Free Kicks
22
3
25
Goal Ratio
0.86
0.47
0.79
Always up-to-date career stats can be found on the All Time Stats page.
By Season (Club)
Number of games shown in brackets
LIG
UCL
CDR
SSP
USC
CWC
Total
2004/05
1 (7)
0 (1)
0 (1)
0 (0)
0 (0)
0 (0)
1 (9)
2005/06
6 (17)
1 (6)
1 (2)
0 (0)
0 (0)
0 (0)
8 (25)
2006/07
14 (26)
1 (5)
2 (2)
0 (2)
0 (1)
0 (0)
17 (36)
2007/08
10 (28)
6 (9)
0 (3)
0 (0)
0 (0)
0 (0)
16 (40)
2008/09
23 (31)
9 (12)
6 (8)
0 (0)
0 (0)
0 (0)
38 (51)
2009/10
34 (35)
8 (11)
1 (3)
2 (1)
0 (1)
2 (2)
47 (53)
2010/11
31 (33)
12 (13)
7 (7)
3 (2)
0 (0)
0 (0)
53 (55)
2011/12
50 (37)
14 (11)
3 (7)
3 (2)
1 (1)
2 (2)
73 (60)
2012/13
46 (32)
8 (11)
4 (5)
2 (2)
0 (0)
0 (0)
60 (50)
2013/14
28 (31)
8 (7)
5 (6)
0 (2)
0 (0)
0 (0)
41 (46)
2014/15
43 (38)
10 (13)
5 (6)
0 (0)
0 (0)
0 (0)
58 (57)
2015/16
23 (28)
6 (7)
5 (4)
1 (2)
2 (1)
1 (1)
38 (43)
Totals
309 (343)
83 (106)
39 (54)
11 (13)
3 (4)
5 (5)
450 (525)
Always up-to-date season stats can be found on the Main Stats page.
LIG = La Liga, UCL = Champions League, CDR = Copa Del Rey, SSC = Spanish Super Cup, USC = UEFA Super Cup, CWC = Club World Cup
By Calendar Year (Club and Country)
Number of games shown in brackets
Barcelona Goals
Argentina Goals
Total Goals
2004
0 (7)
0 (0)
0 (7)
2005
3 (16)
0 (5)
3 (21)
2006
10 (26)
2 (7)
12 (33)
2007
25 (41)
6 (14)
31 (55)
2008
20 (40)
2 (8)
22 (48)
2009
38 (54)
3 (10)
41 (64)
2010
58 (54)
2 (10)
60 (64)
2011
55 (57)
4 (13)
59 (70)
2012
79 (60)
12 (9)
91 (69)
2013
39 (39)
6 (7)
45 (46)
2014
50 (52)
8 (14)
58 (66)
2015
48 (53)
4 (8)
52 (61)
2016
25 (25)
1 (2)
26 (27)
Always up-to-date calendar year stats can be found on the Calendar Year Stats page.
By Competition
La Liga: 309 goals
Champions League: 83 goals
Copa Del Rey: 39 goals
International Friendlies: 27 goals
World Cup Qualifiers: 15 goals
Supercopa de España: 11 goals
World Cup: 5 goals
Club World Cup: 5 goals
Copa America: 3 goals
UEFA Super Cup: 3 goals
Messi’s Top Assist Providers
Dani Alves: 42
Iniesta: 33
Xavi: 31
Pedro: 25
Suarez: 16
By Body Part
Left foot goals: 405
Right foot goals: 72
Headed goals: 21
Other: 2 (1 chest, 1 hand)
By Type of Play
Via assist: 325 goals
Penalty: 64 goals
Free kick: 25 goals
Solo run: 17 goals
Rebound: 33 goals
By interception: 36 goals
Messi has scored 2+ goals 136 times
1 goal scored: 184 games
2 goals scored: 98 games
3 goals scored: 33 games
4 goals scored: 4 games
5 goals scored: 1 games
Around the World
Countries scored in: 30
Cities scored in: 78
Stadiums scored in: 88
By Opponent
Atletico Madrid: 25 goals
Sevilla: 25 goals
Real Madrid: 21 goals
Home/Away
Home goals: 264
Away goals: 201
Neutral goals: 35
By Stadium
Camp Nou: (Barcelona) 256 goals
Bernabeu: (Real Madrid) 12 goals
Vicente Calderon: (Atletico Madrid) 11 goals
Estadio Riazor: (Deportivo La Coruna) 9 goals
By Match Time
0-15 Minutes: 50 goals
16-30 Minutes: 79 goals
31-45 Minutes: 92 goals
46-60 Minutes: 70 goals
61-75 Minutes: 79 goals
76-90+ Minutes: 130 goals
By Team’s Position
When team is losing: 44 goals
When team is drawing: 181 goals
When team is winning: 275 goals
By Month
January: 63 goals
February: 55 goals
March: 69 goals
April: 41 goals
May: 36 goals
June: 22 goals
July: 2 goals
August: 27 goals
September: 56 goals
October: 40 goals
November: 57 goals
December: 32 goals
More Messi 500 Stats & Facts
1st Barcelona Goal: 2-0 win vs Albacete (H) La Liga, May 2005
1st Argentina Goal: 2-3 defeat vs Croatia (N) Friendly, March 2006
Different opponents faced: 121
Different opponents scored against: 90
Opponent most faced without scoring: Chelsea (8 games)
If you’ve got a free 40 minutes, you can watch every single one of Messi’s 500 goals on YouTube.
This Saturday sees the return of football’s biggest rivalry and one of the most highly anticipated fixtures of the season, as Real Madrid travel to Barcelona’s Camp Nou for the latest edition of El Clásico!
However, this particular meeting takes on somewhat less significance than most recent Clásicos, as Real Madrid find themselves all but out of contention for the La Liga title, sitting way behind the Catalans in the table.
Having said that though, Real Madrid will be intent on restoring some pride after the 4-0 drubbing they suffered in their own back yard against Barcelona back in November. For this reason, and with the attackers each team boasts, it still promises to be a hell of a battle.
Messi and Ronaldo are both enjoying a very positive 2016 so far in front of goal. It remains to be seen whether either of them can use that form to carry their team to victory on Saturday, but we can look at their stats from previous El Clásico encounters…
Ronaldo stepped up to the penalty spot for the 100th time (excluding shootouts) in his career against Levante this evening, finding the back of the net for the 86th time. Obviously this means he has failed to convert just 14 penalties in his career, resulting in an extremely impressive success rate of 86%.
Listed below is every single one of those 100 penalty attempts, including those scored and missed for club and country throughout his entire career.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s 100 Career Penalties
Correct as of March 3rd 2016. Always up to date career penalty stats can be found on the All Time Stats page by clicking on the goal totals.
Date
Comp
Team
Opponent
H/A
Score
Pen
02/03/2016
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Levante
A
2-1
21/2/2016
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Malaga
A
1-1
31/1/2016
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Espanyol
H
6-0
30/12/2015
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Real Sociedad
H
3-1
30/12/2015
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Real Sociedad
H
3-1
20/12/2015
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Rayo Vallecano
H
10-2
29/11/2015
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Eibar
A
0-2
15/09/2015
UCL Champions League
Real Madrid
Shakhtar Donetsk
H
4-0
15/09/2015
UCL Champions League
Real Madrid
Shakhtar Donetsk
H
4-0
12/09/2015
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Espanyol
A
6-0
13/06/2015
EQ Euro Qualifier
Portugal
Armenia
A
3-2
23/05/2015
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Getafe
H
7-3
13/05/2015
UCL Champions League
Real Madrid
Juventus
H
1-1
09/05/2015
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Valencia
H
2-2
18/04/2015
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Malaga
H
3-1
01/03/2015
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Villareal
H
1-1
04/01/2015
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Valencia
A
1-2
09/12/2014
UCL Champions League
Real Madrid
Ludogorets
H
4-0
06/12/2014
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Celta Vigo
H
3-0
22/11/2014
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Eibar
A
4-0
25/10/2014
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Barcelona
H
3-1
18/10/2014
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Levante
A
5-0
01/10/2014
UCL Champions League
Real Madrid
Ludogorets
A
2-1
01/10/2014
UCL Champions League
Real Madrid
Ludogorets
A
2-1
23/09/2014
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Elche
H
5-1
23/09/2014
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Elche
H
5-1
13/09/2014
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Atletico Madrid
H
1-2
24/05/2014
UCL Champions League
Real Madrid
Atletico Madrid
N
4-1
23/05/2014
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Barcelona
H
3-4
11/02/2014
CDR Copa Del Rey
Real Madrid
Atletico Madrid
A
2-0
11/02/2014
CDR Copa Del Rey
Real Madrid
Atletico Madrid
A
2-0
10/12/2013
UCL Champions League
Real Madrid
FC Copenhagen
A
2-0
09/11/2013
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Real Sociedad
H
5-1
30/10/2013
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Sevilla
H
7-3
23/10/2013
UCL Champions League
Real Madrid
Juventus
H
2-1
19/10/2013
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Malaga
H
2-0
25/09/2013
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Elche
A
2-1
22/09/2013
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Getafe
H
4-1
08/05/2013
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Malaga
H
6-2
10/03/2013
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Celta Vigo
A
2-1
26/02/2013
CDR Copa Del Rey
Real Madrid
Barcelona
A
3-1
27/01/2013
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Getafe
H
4-0
02/10/2012
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Celta Vigo
H
2-0
30/09/2012
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Deportivo La Coruna
H
5-1
30/09/2012
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Deportivo La Coruna
H
5-1
24/09/2012
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Rayo Vallecano
A
2-0
02/06/2012
FRI Friendly
Portugal
Turkey
H
1-3
05/05/2012
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Granada
A
2-1
02/05/2012
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Athletic Bilbao
A
3-0
25/04/2012
UCL Champions League
Real Madrid
Bayern Munich
H
3-4
11/04/2012
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Atletico Madrid
A
4-1
12/02/2012
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Levante
H
4-2
22/01/2012
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Athletic Bilbao
H
4-1
22/01/2012
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Athletic Bilbao
H
4-1
17/12/2011
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Sevilla
A
6-2
26/11/2011
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Atletico Madrid
H
4-1
26/11/2011
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Atletico Madrid
H
4-1
06/11/2011
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Osasuna
H
7-1
02/11/2011
UCL Champions League
Real Madrid
Lyon
A
2-0
24/09/2011
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Rayo Vallecano
H
6-2
24/09/2011
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Rayo Vallecano
H
6-2
10/09/2011
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Getafe
H
4-2
02/09/2011
EQ Euro Qualifier
Portugal
Cyprus
A
4-0
10/05/2011
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Getafe
H
4-0
16/04/2011
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Barcelona
H
1-1
03/05/2011
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Malaga
H
7-0
03/01/2011
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Getafe
A
3-2
23/11/2010
UCL Champions League
Real Madrid
Ajax
A
4-0
20/11/2010
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Athletic Bilbao
H
5-1
23/10/2010
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Racing Santander
H
6-1
16/10/2010
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Malaga
A
4-1
21/09/2010
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Espanyol
H
3-0
08/05/2010
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Athletic Bilbao
H
5-1
04/04/2010
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Racing Santander
A
2-0
27/02/2010
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Tenerife
A
5-1
05/12/2009
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Almeria
H
4-2
29/08/2009
LIG La Liga
Real Madrid
Deportivo La Coruna
A
3-2
25/04/2009
EPL Premier League
Manchester United
Tottenham Hotspur
H
5-2
14/03/2009
EPL Premier League
Manchester United
Liverpool
H
1-4
11/02/2009
FRI Friendly
Portugal
Finland
H
1-0
31/01/2009
EPL Premier League
Manchester United
Everton
H
1-0
20/01/2009
LC League Cup
Manchester United
Derby County
H
4-2
27/09/2008
EPL Premier League
Manchester United
Bolton Wanderers
H
2-0
11/05/2008
EPL Premier League
Manchester United
Wigan Athletic
A
2-0
23/04/2008
UCL Champions League
Manchester United
Barcelona
A
0-0
13/04/2008
EPL Premier League
Manchester United
Arsenal
H
2-1
27/01/2008
FAC FA Cup
Manchester United
Tottenham Hotspur
H
3-1
29/12/2007
EPL Premier League
Manchester United
West Ham United
A
1-2
23/12/2007
EPL Premier League
Manchester United
Everton
H
2-1
08/12/2007
EPL Premier League
Manchester United
Derby County
H
4-1
23/10/2007
UCL Champions League
Manchester United
Dynamo Kiev
A
4-2
05/05/2007
EPL Premier League
Manchester United
Manchester City
A
1-0
19/03/2007
FAC FA Cup
Manchester United
Middlesborough
H
1-0
10/03/2007
FAC FA Cup
Manchester United
Middlesborough
A
2-2
03/02/2007
EPL Premier League
Manchester United
Tottenham Hotspur
A
4-0
31/01/2007
EPL Premier League
Manchester United
Watford
H
4-0
26/12/2006
EPL Premier League
Manchester United
Wigan Athletic
H
3-1
01/09/2006
FRI Friendly
Portugal
Denmark
A
2-4
17/06/2006
WC World Cup
Portugal
Iran
N
2-0
30/11/2005
EPL Premier League
Manchester United
West Bromwich Albion
H
3-1
Ronaldo’s Penalty Record Per Club
Ronaldo’s penalty record for Real Madrid: 65/74
Ronaldo’s penalty record for Manchester United: 17/20
Earlier this evening, Lionel Messi reached yet another famous goalscoring landmark in the colours of Barcelona. After surpassing Telmo Zarra’s all-time La Liga goalscoring record of 251 La Liga goals last season – a record which had stood for 59 years – Leo tonight reached number 300 (and 301) against Sporting Gijon.
Messi passed up the opportunity to reach the landmark number on Sunday evening when he controversially opted to tap his penalty for Suarez to score instead.
That decision felt justified tonight as goal number 300 was instead a finely struck left foot curler from outside of the box – much more worthy of such a landmark!
Tonight, Lionel Messi capped off a fantastic year by lifting his 5th Ballon d’Or trophy, affirming his status as the world’s best player over the last 12 months. This extends the record he already held for most Ballon d’Or triumphs, with no other player having won the prestigious award more than 3 times.
The exceptional Argentine will be delighted to get his hands on the main trophy again as his previous run of 4 consecutive Ballon d’Or wins had been halted by his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who lifted the trophy on the next 2 occasions.
Messi was heavy favourite to win the award this time though after playing an integral part in Barcelona’s terrific treble triumph, and the final result proved to reflect this:
Messi – 41.33%
Ronaldo – 27.76%
Neymar – 7.86%
Ronaldo holds onto 2nd place ahead of newcomer Neymar Jr, who made his first appearance in the top 3 Ballon d’Or nominations. Many thought Neymar would come closer to breaking into that top 2, especially considering Messi’s result last year, where he beat Manuel Neuer to 2nd place by a mere 0.04%!
Most Ballon d’Or Wins*
Player
Ballon d’Or Wins
Lionel Messi
5
Cristiano Ronaldo
3
Johan Cruyff
3
Michel Platini
3
Marco van Basten
3
*This data refers to the current FIFA Ballon d’Or awarded to the world’s best player, and the pre-2010 Ballon d’Or which was awarded to the best player in Europe. It should also be noted that Ronaldo de Lima and Zinedine Zidane won the FIFA World Player of the Year award (which ran from 1991 to 2009) 3 times.
Trophies Galore
The year 2015 turned out to be one of the most decorated of Lionel Messi’s glittering career, as he lifted no less than 5 trophies; La Liga, the Champions League, the Copa Del Rey, the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup. The only mishap came in the Spanish Super Cup in which Barcelona were ultimately overcome by Athletic Bilbao.
Leo also made the final of the Copa America with his national team Argentina, who only succumbed to winners Chile after a penalty shootout.
The Stats
In terms of goals, 2015 doesn’t actually rank as one of Messi’s best, recording a goalscoring ratio of 0.85 for club and country; his lowest since 2011. For Barcelona only, he managed 0.91 goals per game, which was his lowest for a calendar year since 2009.
Goals
Assists
Appearances
Argentina
4
3
8
Barcelona
48
23
53
Total
52
26
61
Messi’s final 2015 calendar year stats
However, it was the nature and importance of his goals that weighed much more heavily in 2015. For example, in what was arguably Barcelona’s biggest test of the year against Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-final, he practically won the tie with 2 utterly majestic goals; the 2nd of which he made one of the world’s best centre backs (Boateng) and the world’s best goalkeeper (Neuer) look completely helpless as he turned one inside-out and effortlessly lobbed the other with his wrong foot.
Further to this, it was Messi who scored the goal that clinched the La Liga title at Atletico Madrid’s Vicente Calderón, a notoriously difficult place to get a result.
And finally, the little magician scored one of the best goals of his career in the Copa Del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao when he picked the ball up on the half way line, and proceeded to dribble his way through a crowd of players before firing the ball home. This goal was in the top 3 nominations tonight for the FIFA Puskás Award, given for the most beautiful goal of the year; however it was ultimately beaten by the superb goal scored by Brazilian, Wendell Lira.
Love this angle of Messi's incredible Copa Del Rey final goal earlier this year.It's one of 10 goals nominated for the 2015 Puskas award. You can vote here: http://www.fifa.com/ballon-dor/puskas-award/
So you see you have to look past the statistics alone to truly appreciate Lionel Messi, as his outrageous goalscoring tends to overshadow the other aspects of his game, which are just as important. To explain further, Andres Iniesta doesn’t score many goals, but no-one would question his status as a true great of the past decade. If Lionel Messi never scored another goal, his importance to the team would still be akin to that of Iniesta.
Finally, a word for Cristiano Ronaldo, who many have argued shouldn’t have made the top 3 this year ahead of Barcelona’s Luis Suarez. He may have had an ultimately disappointing year with Real Madrid in terms of trophies, but his goalscoring has remained consistently phenomenal throughout 2015, with no other player surpassing his goal total or his goals per game ratio. For that reason alone, he deserves his plaudits.
Goals
Assists
Appearances
Portugal
3
0
5
Real Madrid
54
17
52
Total
57
17
57
Ronaldo’s final 2015 calendar year stats
But it is Lionel Messi that has shined brighter than the rest in 2015, taking home his FIFTH FIFA Ballon d’Or! Congratulations Lionel Messi!!!
Last week, the 3-man shortlist for the 2015 Ballon d’Or was finally revealed. As has been the case for almost a decade now, Messi and Ronaldo both made the cut as was widely expected. The other spot had been very much up for grabs this year though, with Lewandowski, Neymar and Suarez emerging as the favourites since the start of the new season.
Neymar’s sensational form of late ensured he ultimately pulled away from his competitors to grab that final space, and has even had some people claiming he should take the 2nd spot on the podium this year!
2015 Ballon d’Or Finalists
Player
Previous Appearances in Final 3
Messi
8
Ronaldo
7
Neymar
0
Did the right players make the final shortlist?
There has been outrage from some quarters that Luis Suarez didn’t make the final cut over Cristiano Ronaldo.
This view point certainly has enough merit to warrant discussion, but has Suarez’s year been so good as to oust last year’s Ballon d’Or winner from the podium altogether?
Well, let’s look at the stats…
2015 Club Stats
Player
Goals
Assists
Games
Ronaldo
46
15
48
Messi
44
22
49
Neymar
41
12
51
Suarez
41
22
53
Correct as of 7th December 2015. See the calendar year page for guaranteed up to date 2015 statistics
Suarez and Neymar have matched each other for goals this year, with Neymar boasting the ever so slightly better goal ratio. Suarez has notched up many more assists though and on paper, looks hard done by not to make the final 3.
Neymar’s flair, creativity and impressive link up play this year seems to have edged him ahead of Suarez, as well as finishing joint top scorer in the Champions League last season.
Barca’s treble win weighs heavily in Suarez’s favour when it comes to the choice between him and Ronaldo. However, whilst trophies are certainly a major factor, the Ballon d’Or is awarded for individual brilliance at the end of the day, and Ronaldo has had yet another incredible year, having been crowned the best player in the world for the last 2 years running now.
He finished last season as joint Champions League top scorer along with Neymar and Messi (in fewer games) and has scored the most goals in club competitions in 2015 (46) in fewer games than his rivals (48).
He also picked up both the Pichichi (La Liga top scorer) and European Golden Shoe (Europe’s top scorer) awards for the 2nd time in succession, off the back of his best ever goals return in La Liga; a mind-numbing 48 goals in just 35 appearances.
These numbers mean – for me at least – that Ronaldo still deserves his place in the top 2 footballers in the world.
It is now undeniable though that the gap is finally closing.
So who should win the 2015 Ballon d’Or?
As I’ve alluded to already, I think Neymar will run the top 2 close, but ultimately the Messi and Ronaldo dynasty will live on for another year.
Which of these guys will pick up the coveted golden trophy then? Firstly, let’s look at how their stats compare…
Messi 2015 Calendar Year Stats
Goals
Assists
Games
Argentina
4
3
8
Barcelona
44
22
49
Total
48
25
57
Correct as of 7th December 2015. See the calendar year page for guaranteed up to date 2015 statistics
Ronaldo 2015 Calendar Year Stats
Goals
Assists
Games
Portugal
3
0
5
Real Madrid
46
15
48
Total
49
15
53
Correct as of 7th December 2015. See the calendar year page for guaranteed up to date 2015 statistics
Going by the stats alone, it’s a very close run thing this year but Ronaldo just edges it with one more goal in 4 less games altogether.
However, we all know there is a lot more to it than just statistics.
Despite Ronaldo’s goalscoring heroics (he’s scored 5 goals in a single league game on 2 occasions in 2015), Real Madrid have endured a completely trophy-less year.
Lionel Messi on the other hand has enjoyed one of the most trophy-ridden years of his glittering career, scoring several pivotal goals along the way. His superb brace in the Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich set Barca on their way to what was a convincing win in the end.
He also scored the goal that secured the league title in a 1-0 win at Atletico Madrid, a notoriously difficult place to get a result.
And to round the treble off, Messi scored one of the most impressive goals of his career in the Copa Del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao; a goal that is among the finalists for the 2015 Puskas award (given for the best goal).
Love this angle of Messi's incredible Copa Del Rey final goal earlier this year.It's one of 10 goals nominated for the 2015 Puskas award. You can vote here: http://www.fifa.com/ballon-dor/puskas-award/
When all of these factors are considered, it will perhaps come as no surprise that Lionel Messi is the red hot favourite to collect his 5th Ballon d’Or in January, having watched Ronaldo take it home for the last 2 years.
Cristiano’s desire to be the best is well known so this one will hurt, but if he keeps scoring at his superhuman levels, he will surely be back in the frame again for next year’s award.
It’s that time of year again – time for the most highly anticipated fixture of the footballing season. El Clásico! This one has a special significance as it is expected to bring with it the return of Lionel Messi, who has spent 8 weeks on the sidelines through injury.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s start to the season hasn’t quite lived up to his normal, insane standards. He’s notched 8 goals in 11 appearances (which is still excellent by normal standards) whereas at this point last season he was already nearing the 20 goal mark.
Let’s look at how Messi and Ronaldo have fared previously in El Clásico…
You can see that Messi’s Barcelona have had the upper hand over the last few years as they’ve racked up significantly more wins. Messi and Ronaldo’s goal scoring ratios in the fixture are very similar, with Messi’s at 0.70 and Ronaldo’s at 0.65, and both with 4 penalties each.
It is the assists count which presents the starkest contrast between the two players in El Clásicos. Messi has racked up an impressive 13 in the 30 he’s played, whereas Ronaldo has just 1 in his 23 Clásico appearances.
Hopefully Messi will get some significant game time tomorrow – he could even start, but with Neymar and Suarez in blistering form recently, that may not be risked. Whatever happens, hopefully it’s another fantastic match and both Messi and Ronaldo get on the scoresheet.
Lionel Messi has been declared fit for El Clasico on Saturday after over 7 weeks out as he suffered a tear in the medial collateral ligament of his left knee. He resumed training earlier this week and is looking in good shape.
If we’re being honest, it would be a surprise if Leo is put straight back into the starting line up in such a gigantic fixture, but he will almost certainly get a significant amount of game time, and will no doubt prove incredibly effective as an impact substitute.
In other team news, Rakitic also has a chance of making the bench but hasn’t recovered in time to be in contention to start. For Real Madrid, Benezema is still a doubt and Keylor Navas who has been outstanding for Los Blancos this season is hoping to shake off a knock.
There’s been a bit of confusion this week over exactly how many goals Cristiano Ronaldo has scored for Real Madrid, as the club itself came out and reported that Ronaldo was now their outright top goalscorer ever with 324 goals.
At the same time, almost everyone else (this website included) was reporting that his brace in the Champions League on Wednesday meant his total tally stands at 323 goals for Real Madrid (not 324), bringing him level with Raul.
Real Madrid even held a special tribute for CR7 today where he was presented with a unique trophy honouring his new record as the club’s top scorer – a trophy which was inscribed with “324 goals”.
The confusion arises from a free kick scored in September 2010 against Real Sociedad. Real Madrid and Diario Marca (a Spanish sports newspaper) credit the goal to Ronaldo, whereas Liga de Fútbol Profesional (La Liga) awarded the goal to team mate Pepe, who deflected Ronaldo’s strike into the goal.
La Liga’s decision is the official one and the official records will reflect that, but Real Madrid are clearly sticking by their guns. See the goal for yourself and make your own mind up…
Watch the goal here (at 0:29):
It’s interesting that the world seemed to agree before the Malmo game on Wednesday that Ronaldo was on 499 career goals and his next would be his 500th. Why weren’t Real Madrid celebrating 500 career goals way before Wednesday?
Even Ronaldo said to an interviewer after the game who congratulated him on scoring 500 goals that he “believes it’s 501 now”… not 502 as it would be if Real Madrid’s figure were to be believed.
We’re sticking with the official records of course, which state that Ronaldo has scored 323 goals (not 324) in 308 appearances for Real Madrid, and 501 career goals (not 502).
What do you think? Have your say…