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Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are two of the greatest players to have ever played the beautiful game. The two legends have dominated the sport for well over a decade and are, in fact, still going strong despite being well into their 30s.
At the peak of their powers, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi played for arch rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively. They went toe to toe for every trophy and individual honour available and they treated us to some exciting and entertaining footballing madness season after season.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have had a decent 2021-22 so far
While neither Ronaldo nor Messi have been at their best in the 2021-22 season, they've done a decent job. They have still been able to produce stunning, match-winning displays on the odd day. But who has done better between the two for club and country in the ongoing season?
Without further ado, let's take a look at the full statistical comparison between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo (2021-22).
#16 Appearances [Cristiano Ronaldo - 33, Lionel Messi - 28]
Ronaldo has managed to stay fit throughout the 2021-22 season so far. He is 37-years-old and cannot afford to play 90 minutes twice a week and keep up with the rigorous football schedule like he used to. But he is still doing brilliantly for his age and is the first-choice striker for both Manchester United and Portugal.
Meanwhile, Messi has had a few injury issues. He suffered a bone bruise in September before picking up a knee injury in late October. The Argentinian international also contracted the coronavirus and had to be quarantined for a while.
#15 Minutes Played [Cristiano Ronaldo - 2650, Lionel Messi - 2255]
Yet another piece of stat which shows what an absolute specimen Ronaldo is. He has played close to 400 minutes more than Messi this term. That's a difference of almost four and a half games and Ronaldo is 37 while Messi is 34.
#14 Goals - [Cristiano Ronaldo - 21, Lionel Messi - 11]
Lionel Messi hasn't been at his best this season when it comes to finding the back of the net. Ronaldo has come up clutch in the marksman's role for both Manchester United and Portugal on plenty of occasions this term. There is a telling difference here between two of the greatest goalscorers the game has ever seen.
#13 Assists [Cristiano Ronaldo - 3, Lionel Messi - 7]
Lionel Messi outshines Ronaldo in the assists department. It's rather understandable as Messi plays a deeper role than Ronaldo and is more involved with the build-up than the latter.
#12 Goals per game [Cristiano Ronaldo - 0.64, Lionel Messi - 0.39]
This shows why Cristiano Ronaldo has been more reliable this season when it comes to scoring goals than Messi.
#11 Minutes per goal [Cristiano Ronaldo - 126.2, Lionel Messi - 205]
Lionel Messi scored 38 goals in 47 appearances for Barcelona in the 2020-21 season. His goalscoring output has dropped drastically this term. He has scored just seven goals in 21 appearances for PSG and has not been prolific in front of goal for Argentina either since the 2021 Copa America.
#10 Minutes per goal or assist [Cristiano Ronaldo - 110.4, Lionel Messi - 125.3]
Cristiano Ronaldo has a better goal contribution rate than Lionel Messi this season. It's only slightly better but Ronaldo has largely played for an out-of-form Manchester United side which makes his numbers pretty impressive.
#9 Hat-tricks [Cristiano Ronaldo - 1, Lionel Messi - 1]
The two legends have scored a hat-trick each this season. Both did so for their respective national teams in the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. Ronaldo scored his hat-trick for Portugal against Luxembourg while Messi put three in the back of the net against Bolivia for Argentina.
#8 Penalties scored [Cristiano Ronaldo - 4, Lionel Messi - 2]
Cristiano Ronaldo took a while to de-seat Bruno Fernandes as Manchester United's primary penalty taker. He has scored four out of six from the spot this season. The Argentinian has scored two out of three and like his Portuguese counterpart, he is the first-choice penalty taker for both club and country.
#7 Penalties missed [Cristiano Ronaldo - 2, Lionel Messi - 1]
Cristiano Ronaldo missed his penalty against Middlesbrough in the fourth round of the FA Cup. The game ended 1-1 and the Red Devils lost in the shootout. Suffice to say, Ronaldo's only penalty miss of the season cost Manchester United dearly.
He also missed a penalty for Portugal against Republic of Ireland in the World Cup Qualifiers. Ronaldo made up for the miss by scoring a late brace to win the game for his country.
Lionel Messi has missed one penalty this season. It came in the first leg of their crucial UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu last night. Courtois saved Messi's effort but Mbappe's stoppage time goal gave PSG the win anyway.
#6 Free-kick goals [Cristiano Ronaldo - 0, Lionel Messi - 0]
Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, at some point in their careers, have been among the best free-kick takers in the world. Unfortunately, neither player has had any luck from set-pieces this season.
#5 Goals from outside the box [Cristiano Ronaldo - 3, Lionel Messi - 5]
Cristiano Ronaldo is a fox-in-the-box. Lionel Messi's long-range shooting has always been exemplary. As such, it is no surprise that Messi has scored more goals from outside the box this season compared to Ronaldo.
#4 Goals from inside the box [Cristiano Ronaldo - 14, Lionel Messi - 4]
As mentioned earlier, Ronaldo plays a more advanced role than Messi and is the primary goal getter for club and country. He has been way more effective than his Argentinian counterpart inside the box.
#3 Goals with the left foot [Cristiano Ronaldo - 2, Lionel Messi - 10]
Cristiano Ronaldo prefers his right foot while Lionel Messi is a left footer. So this shouldn't come as any surprise.
#2 Goals with the right foot [Cristiano Ronaldo - 15, Lionel Messi - 1]
Ronaldo has done much better at scoring goals this season than Messi and these numbers are a testament to that. Ronaldo has scored two goals with his weak foot this season while Messi has only scored one.
#1 Headers scored [Cristiano Ronaldo - 4, Lionel Messi - 0]
Cristiano Ronaldo has always been better than Lionel Messi when it comes to aerial ability. The story has remained the same this season with Ronaldo scoring four times with his head for club and country while Messi has failed to score even one.
