5 facts that show Ronaldo is not a better goalscorer than Lionel Messi

#3 Messi has the better head-to-head record

Messi has outscored Ronaldo in clashes between the pair

For nine seasons, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo played in LaLiga for Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively. Both clubs' mega stature meant that they not only did they compete with each other for domestic dominance in Spain, but also on the continent and beyond.

However, both Ronaldo and Lionel Messi had some history prior to their respective El Clasico clashes, first squaring up in the Champions League semi-final of 2008 as Barcelona got knocked out.

The next meeting between the pair was just a season later as Barcelona exacted revenge by triumphing over Ronaldo's United in the 2009 UCL final en route to their unprecedented six title triumph that year, with Messi in among the goals.

Since that time, their clashes have been strictly in El Clasicos or on the international scene, with Lionel Messi triumphant on 16 occasions to Ronaldo's 10, while nine matches have ended in a stalemate.

In the goals department, Lionel Messi also prevails, having scored 22 goals in the 35 official clashes between the pair while Ronaldo has managed 19 goals.

In terms of head-to-head records in terms of goalscoring, LM10 also thumps CR7 and this highlights that he has been more decisive in settling matches between the two.