Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are two of the greatest goalscorers in the history of football, and here’s how the duo scored their goals.

HIGHLIGHTS

 Ronaldo has scored more goals than Messi in their careers (877 vs 822), but the Argentine averages more goals per game (0.78 vs 0.73).
 Messi has tallied more hat-tricks (63 vs 57) and free-kick goals (65 vs 61) than Ronaldo.
 Ronaldo excels in headers (147 vs 26), and has scored more goals with his weaker foot (167 vs 105) than his eternal rival.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are arguably the two best players to ever set foot on a football pitch. Both men have been incredible goalscorers across their two-decade-long careers and have found a number of different solutions to get the ball into the back of the net.

This is the hardest skill in the beautiful game, but the masterful pair have made it look easy over the years, scoring goals for fun at times. Whether it be a set-piece goal, a bullet header, or a well-placed strike on their weak foot, Messi and Ronaldo have the capability to hurt opposing teams from almost any situation.

That said, GIVEMESPORT have decided to compare the different types of goals the Inter Miami and Al-Nassr superstars have scored, and how regularly they have done so. This has been done with the help of the Messi vs Ronaldo app.

Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi – Career Goals

Statistic
Cristiano Ronaldo
Lionel Messi

Goals
877
822

Goals per game
0.73
0.78

Minutes per goal
112
105

Hat-tricks
63
57

Penalties
162
108

Free-kick goals
61
65

Outside the box

Inside the box
587
557

Strong foot
561
688

Weak foot
167
105

Headers
147
26

Other
2
3

Correct as of March 1, 2024.

Goals

Ronaldo – 877, Messi 822

Ronaldo is the top goalscorer of all time, meaning Messi was always going to come out second best in this metric. The little magician does, however, come extremely close to the Portugal star’s tally when considering he is over two years younger.

Nonetheless, Ronaldo should be given his flowers as he will undoubtedly end up with over 900 goals to his name for club and country when the 39-year-old eventually decides to hang up his boots. Scoring for Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, Al-Nassr and Portugal, Ronaldo has done it in every team he has ever represented. He is the definition of an elite marksman.

Goals per game

Ronaldo – 0.73, Messi – 0.78

It’s interesting to see that despite having fewer career goals altogether, Messi is actually the more consistent goalscorer. The Inter Miami ace averages 0.78 goals per game, which is marginally better than Ronaldo’s.

This becomes all the more impressive when factoring in the positions both men have played in their legendary careers. While Ronaldo was a tricky winger in his younger days, CR7 has been utilised as a centre-forward for the past decade. Messi, on the other hand, has never been the same out-and-out striker figure. Dropping deep to control the game, the closest he has got is during his false nine days at Barcelona.

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Minutes per goal

Ronaldo – 112, Messi – 105

As can almost be deduced from the goal per game ratio, Ronaldo has a higher minute per goal rate than his counterpart. As is the case with many of these metrics, there really isn’t a lot in it at all. Messi averages seven fewer minutes per goal across his career.

Having made over 150 less senior appearances and scored 55 fewer goals than Ronaldo, it was always likely Messi would come out on top here. The Argentine is often seen as more of a creator than the man to apply the finishing touch, but these first three stats prove otherwise. Both men have been lethal when presented with goalscoring opportunities.

Hat-tricks

Ronaldo – 63, Messi – 57

Messi clearly spreads his goals out over more games as his Portuguese peer has netted a treble six more times than him. Ronaldo is a player that shows no mercy towards the opposition and will do anything he can to put the ball in the net as many times as possible in every game.

His haul of 63 career hat-tricks is the most of any player in the 21st century. Both men are well ahead of the competition when it comes to scoring three goals in a single game, being the only two men to have over 50 hat-tricks since 2000.

Penalties

Ronaldo – 162, Messi – 108

It’s understandable that clubs would entrust their best players with the penalty responsibility. Ronaldo has been the go-to man for spot kicks for the majority of his career, while Messi has had spells of sharing the role with teammates, at club level in particular.

Ronaldo’s 162 penalty goals have come from 191 attempts, while Messi’s record stands at 108 from 139. This shows both players have missed a similar number of opportunities from six yards out during their long and storied careers in the game, although the Al-Nassr superstar is the more reliable player in these instances. To have missed 29 from almost 200 is still an impressive record for the 39-year-old.