The duel between these two football titans, Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, has divided sports fans in practically every country in the world. That's why, from simple admirers, from the most amateurs possible, to the most passionate fans, these two current athletes are always pitted against each other in a dispute that borders on the supernatural.

The list of the greatest scorers in world football is often questioned, mainly because the criteria adopted always vary greatly. FIFA, for example, categorically states that no player has officially managed to reach the 1000 goal mark. She does not consider most of the goals scored by Lajos Tichy, Josef Bican, Erwin Helmchen and Pelé, for example.

It's true that some players also don't have official sources. But that is not the case with Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. However, according to the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS), Pelé is the greatest scorer in a first division in the history of football, with 541 goals scored in 560 matches.

Prerequisites for comparisons

According to the Guinness Book of Records, Pelé still remains the greatest scorer in the history of world football. He has a whopping 1279 goals, in a total of 1363 games. However, these numbers include unofficial friendlies, but which were duly recorded and can be proven.

However, the last 12 years of football, even with the limitations imposed by the pandemic, are truly at the feet of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Regardless of the club they are representing at the moment, these two stars will always be compared for their attributes shown on the field.

In the list, published below, criteria are established that evaluate the duel between these two super athletes. Each one will have its own individual factor. However, it will be properly explained. Both what is the record set by each of them, and what was the year (season) in which this number was achieved by the record holder.

Goals and goals from Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

• Top scorer, but considering only official games (not friendlies): Cristiano Ronaldo, with 801 goals, from 2002 to the present;
• Player with the most goals in a year, but considering only official games (not friendlies): Lionel Messi, with 91 goals, in 2012;
• Top scorer in UEFA Champions League: Cristiano Ronaldo, with 135 goals, from 2002 to the present;
• Only player to score more than 40 goals in 10 consecutive seasons: Lionel Messi, from 2010 to 2019;
• Top scorer in the world for a national team: Cristiano Ronaldo, for Portugal, with 111 goals, from 2002 to the present;
• Player with the most goals for a club: Lionel Messi, for Barcelona, with 672 goals, from 2002 to the present;
• Player most times top scorer in the UEFA Champions League: Cristiano Ronaldo, 7(seven) times | 2007-08, 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18;
• Scorer with the most goals in a single edition of UEFA Champions League: Cristiano Ronaldo, with 17 goals, 2013-14;
• Player with the most goals in a season in Europe: Lionel Messi, with 73 goals, 2011-12;
• Player with the most goals in European Championship history: Cristiano Ronaldo, with 14 goals, from 2002 to the present time.

X-ray of the decade made by ESPN

A Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, better known as ESPN, made a true selection of the main numbers of the duo of most decorated players since 2010. That is, games, goals, titles, all for the respective clubs and teams that they represent and/or represented.

25 goals more has been Messi's advantage over Cristiano Ronaldo over the last 10 years. In total there are 579 versus 554. Messi has surpassed the CR7 striker in terms of goals, consecutively, in the last four years.

Adding international competitions: Champions League, Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo beat Messi with 115 goals, compared to Lionel's 101. The numbers for both are quite impressive.

However, the Argentine scored 45 times more goals than CR7 in club games. To do this, he took advantage of domestic fighting. That is, the LaLiga, the Cup and the Super Cup. In them, the Argentine scored 421 goals against 362 from the Portuguese. Together they have 783 goals.

A curious percentage is the crossover between games played and goals scored by both. Messi scored in 357 of 615 games. This represents 58.04% of use. CR7, on the other hand, scored 345 goals in 586 games. That is, 58.87%. The interesting thing is that, in percentage terms, CR7 surpasses Messi, even though he scored 12 fewer goals in the decade.

Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo off the field

It is worth mentioning that their rivalry is only on the football field. Contrary to popular belief, they maintain a very friendly and healthy relationship outside of the 4 lines. In other words, in addition to the duo's professional performance being impeccable, they also enjoy exemplary maturity in their personal lives.

In their last public meeting, the atmosphere was relaxed and even funny between them. The meeting took place on August 29th, a Thursday. The event was the UEFA awards and Champions League draw. That is, in Monaco. The two smiled when talking about the sporting rivalry. However, more relaxed, CR7 even invited Messi to dinner.

When asked if he missed Cristiano, Messi, more introverted, replied yes. But he emphasizes what he called “beautiful rivalry”. Lionel was referring to the time he played for Barcelona and CR7 for Real Madrid.

Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo information in real time

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