Soccer fans from all across the globe are enjoying what will be remembered as one of the greatest rivalries in the history of sports. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo grabbed the attention of the soccer public ever since they were teenagers.
Messi was Barcelona’s child from 2000 when he was only 13 years old. Ronaldo played for Sporting in Portugal but was later signed by Manchester United as the most promising teenager in football.
You can easily say that the two players already met high expectations, and maybe even exceeded them. The discussion of who’s the better player started well over a decade ago, and it’s still active.
There aren’t any big numbers that separate the two, as they are relatively close in any category you look. The infographic from Betting Sites can give you an insight into the numbers behind Messi’s and Ronaldo’s career, who have a decent chance to go down as the two best players to ever step on a soccer pitch.
Goals and Assists
Messi and Ronaldo have scored over 600 goals each during their official club and national team appearances. Ronaldo has scored more total goals than his Argentinian rival, although he’s played in more matches as well. Messi scores a goal every 100 minutes, while Ronaldo needs 12 minutes more to score one.
Both are also skilled passers and like involving teammates. Messi recorded more assists than Ronaldo in his career, and he averages an assist every 246 minutes while on the pitch, almost 100 more than the Portuguese player.
When it comes to penalties, Ronaldo is to be
more trusted. He converted on 82% of penalty attempts, compared to 77% from Leo
Messi. They both have a personal record of five goals in a single match.
Head-to-Head
Messi and Ronaldo played 35 times against each other. Messi’s Barcelona has more wins (16) than Ronaldo’s teams (10), while the rest of their matchups ended in a draw.
In La Liga, the two superstars met 30 times. Messi recorded 20 goals and 11 assists, while Ronaldo had 18 goals and only one assist.
Argentina and Portugal played two friendly
games with Leo and CR7 on the team. The teams got one win each, while their two
best players scored one goal each in those games.
What Do the Fans Say?
Both players are very popular worldwide. If you ask people from all over the world whether they know who Messi and Ronaldo are, around 90% of them will give you a positive answer.
Ronaldo seems to be more popular with the women, while the male population says that they like Messi more. Both have over 100 million fans on social media. Ronaldo spends more time on social media, however, as he has more followers on all major platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Conclusion
There is no definitive answer as to who is a better player. Messi and Ronaldo both have won many individual and team awards that alone put them in the category of the most influential footballers ever.
If you want to learn more career stats from these two amazing players, check out the infographic. Enjoy!
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