Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo: Comparison of Goals & Stats

As far as the footballers go in terms of establishing themselves, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are two of the greatest players to have ever graced this beautiful game of football. It’s a dream for forwards to achieve tons of goals before they hang their boots. What others dream of, Ronaldo and Messi live in that in the most fashionable way possible. Whether it be a wonderful header or a monstrous goal on their weak foot, the sensational pair has made it easy to find the back of the net for fun almost on every occasion.

With them on the pitch, goals are guaranteed in every game, at least their goal scoring record says so. Over a period of more than 15 years, Messi and Ronaldo have scored hundreds of goals in their illustrious career, hurting opponents in the worst possible manner across all competition. If you take a closer look at the total goals scored by Messi and Ronaldo, your mind will be blown by the number.

Having said that, we at Sportsdunia have made a comparison between the career goals and stats between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. In this article, we have mainly focused on the total goals scored by Messi and Ronaldo.

Total Goals Scored By Messi and Ronaldo

Total Goals Scored by Messi and Ronaldo (850/916)

The Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo is the top goal scorer in the history of football with 916 goals to his name, taking a handsome 66-goal lead to his closest nemesis Lionel Messi, who comes second in the scoring metric. The Inter Miami forward has racked up 850 goals off 1083 games in his career. 

Ronaldo has always been a star in front of goals with his natural ability to bury the ball in the back of the net through his thunderbolt strikes and quick headers. Both superstars have demonstrated the highest level of clinical marksmanship. 

Also read: Best 20 records held by Cristiano Ronaldo in 2025 | Updated

Goals Per Minute & Game (Ronaldo 112/0.73, Messi 105/0.78)

This stat shows the consistency of Lionel Messi in terms of scoring goals compared to his rival Cristiano Ronaldo. The Argentine skipper averages 0.78 goals per game and has scored a goal in 105 minutes, while the Al-Nassr ace averages 0.73 goals per game.

Ronaldo has mostly played as a striker and a winger in his whole career barring his Manchester United stint. On the flip side, Messi has always been deployed in the middle or on the right, and has never been utilised as an out-and-out forward like Ronaldo. Despite playing as a playmaker in the deep of the pitch, Messi has shown more sharpness in scoring.

Hat-tricks (Ronaldo – 66, Messi – 59)

Lionel Messi is almost two-year younger than Cristiano Ronaldo and has played nearly 130 games less than the latter. Still, the Inter Miami attacker has seven fewer hat-tricks as he has scored on most of his appearances unlike Ronaldo, who has torn the opponents apart on every given opportunity in his career. 

With 66 hat-tricks under his belt, Ronaldo has the record of scoring the most trebles in world football in this century. Since 2000, these two monsters are the only footballers to have scored more than 50 hat-tricks.

Penalty Goals of Ronaldo and Messi (169/111)

Cristiano Ronaldo has always been a go-to choice for penalties wherever he has played after Manchester United in his club career, while Lionel Messi shared the spot-kick responsibilities during his years-long career at Barcelona. The former Real Madrid galactico has scored 169 goals from spot-kicks in 198 attempts, and his old foe Messi has recorded 111 penalty goals from 143. However, despite almost similar record in this, Ronaldo is considered more reliable in the penalty box, thanks to his composure in crucial moments of the games.

Free-kick Goals (Ronaldo – 64, Messi – 66)

The former Barcelona attacker is more lethal than Cristiano Ronaldo in free-kicks. Messi’s curling strikes with a blend of magic and clinicality are some sights to behold. Ronaldo may be deadlier from the penalty spot, but Messi is more superior in free kicks due to his shooting accuracy.

Both Ronaldo and Messi have terrorised goalkeepers whenever they stand for the long-ranged set pieces.

Stronger & Weaker Foot Goals (Ronaldo 586/175, Messi – 712/134)

Well, this goal scoring stats between Messi and Ronaldo is quite interesting. The Argentine wonder man has 712 goals with his magical left foot with which he has done wonders, while the Portuguese legend has only 586 goals with his strong right foot. But, this stat doesn’t deny the scoring supremacy of Ronaldo, who can score with both of his feet without any problem as both his right and left feet have found the back of the net, meaning the Al-Nassr ace has a wide array of finishing touches. 

Messi might have been blessed with the most lethal left foot the world has ever seen, but the functional ability of his right foot will always be questioned.

Headers (Ronaldo – 153, Messi – 27)

There is no competition when the goal-scoring metric through headers of Ronaldo and Messi will be discussed. The former Real Madrid and Manchester United man is a clear winner in this race, thanks to his tall physique which has helped him take mountainous leaps in the opposition boxes to head home. Fans will always remember Ronaldo’s unbelievable header goal for Juventus against Sampdoria in Serie A. The Portuguese icon has clocked 153 headers while Messi has only managed 27 in his whole career so far.

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