Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi statistical comparison this year (2023)

Modified Aug 22, 2023 10:20 GMT

Cristiano Ronaldo (left) and Lionel Messi (right)

The Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi debate is one for eternity. Both players have redefined excellence in the sport with their marvelous achievements. The two players boast distinct styles on and off the pitch.

Messi is celebrated for his unmatched dribbling skills, vision, goalscoring and playmaking abilities. Ronaldo has stood out for his athleticism, goalscoring prowess, versatility, dynamism and ability to produce clutch performances on a regular basis.

Although the debate definitely extends beyond their statistics and skills, the former is a good starting point to measure each player's greatness at any given point in time. Without further ado, let's take a look at how the stats of the two players from 2023 compare.

#10 Appearances [Cristiano Ronaldo - 30, Lionel Messi - 32]

Leagues Cup Inter Miami Nashville Soccer

Lionel Messi has been the more busy of the two players albeit by a small margin. That's understandable since he did not take a very long break in the summer and joined Inter Miami who were in the middle of the 2023 MLS season.

#9 Goals [Ronaldo - 25, Messi 24]

Ronaldo has the slightest edge over Messi in the goalscoring department, having found the back of the net 25 times for club and country in 30 appearances in 2023. Messi has bagged 24 goals in 32 appearances.

#8 Assists [Ronaldo - 2, Messi - 8]

This hardly comes as a surprise since Messi has been the better playmaker between the two in recent years. Ronaldo has transitioned into a goalscorer since losing a yard of pace while Messi has been excellent at scoring goals and creating chances for his teammates.

#7 Minutes per goal [Ronaldo - 105, Messi - 117]

Despite turning 38, Ronaldo continues to score goals at a remarkable rate. He has scored a goal every 105 minutes in 2023. Messi is not far behind, netting once every 117 minutes.

#6 Penalties scored [Ronaldo - 7, Messi - 0]

Argentina v Australia - International Friendly

Out of the 25 goals Ronaldo scored in 2023, seven have come from the spot. However, Messi has scored zero goals from penalties in 2023. Make of that what you will but it does paint the Argentinian's goalscoring record in 2023 in a better light.

#5 Direct free-kicks scored [Ronaldo - 2, Messi - 4]

Ronaldo and Messi are two of the finest free-kick takers in the history of the beautiful game. While the Portuguese legend has scored two direct free-kicks in 2023, one for Al-Nassr and one for his country, Messi has scored four.

Of Messi's four direct free-kick goals in 2023, he scored one for PSG, two for Inter Miami and one for Argentina.

#4 Headers scored [Ronaldo - 4, Messi - 0]

Headers are something Ronaldo has historically been better at than Messi. That's reflected in their stats from 2023. Ronaldo has scored four headers in 2023, all coming for Al-Nassr. Meanwhile, Messi is yet to score a single goal from a header this year.

#3 Goals with weaker foot [Ronaldo - 6, Messi - 6]

Although Ronaldo is widely considered to be the more two-footed player among the two, it's a tie this year. Ronaldo has scored six goals with his left foot, which is his weaker one. Messi's weaker foot is his right and he has scored six goals with it since the turn of the year.

#2 Goals with preferred foot [Ronaldo - 15, Messi - 18]

Messi has bagged 18 goals with his stronger left foot. Only 15 of Ronaldo's 25 goals for club and country this year have been scored with his stronger right foot.

#1 Trophies won [Ronaldo - 1, Messi - 2]

Leagues Cup 2023 - Final: Inter Miami CF v Nashville SC

Messi has won two trophies in 2023. He played a crucial role in firing PSG to the Ligue 1 title in the 2022-23 season. The 36-year-old, who subsequently joined Inter Miami this summer, delivered a handful of phenomenal performances to help the MLS club win the Leagues Cup on August 20.

Ronaldo achieved a similar feat wth Al-Nassr recently, winning the Golden Boot and firing his club to glory in the Arabian Clubs Champions Cup.