Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: Complete breakdown of goals, stats and major honours

The past 20 years in football have been under the regime of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Their epic rivalry could raise the pulse of every football fan in the world through magnificent achievements in goal scoring, assists, and winning major trophies on fields across the globe. Below is a broad comparison of their taxing careers as of May 2025.Cristiano Ronaldo has scored an excess of 900 goals in official matches throughout an astounding more than 1200 career appearances, hence qualifying him as the top goal scorer of all time. He netted 450 goals in his club career for Real Madrid, 145 for Manchester United, 101 for Juventus, 68 for Al Nassr, and another 5 for Sporting Lisbon. At the international level, his striking power has been parallel to hitting 136 goals in just 219 games for Portugal.With over 850 senior goals, of which 672 have been for Barcelona, 22 for Paris Saint-Germain, and 26 for Inter Miami, Messi has put the Argentine national team through at 112 goals in 191 matches. When it comes to assists, Messi leads with more than 380, while Ronaldo has 270.For legends and octa-Ballon d'Or holders, on opposite amicably disputing ends - Ronaldo having five and Messi with eight - honours have come in abundance. Messi boasts 45 trophies with a few other teams: 10 La Liga titles, four UEFA Champions League titles, seven Copa del Rey titles, two Copa Américas (2021 and 2024), and the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Not to forget, three times he has won Best Men's Player. Cristiano Ronaldo's cabinet holds 33 major trophies, namely, seven league titles across England, Spain, and Italy; five UEFA Champions League titles; and the UEFA European Championship in 2016. He is the top scorer in UCL history with 140 goals, and the first-ever to score in five World Cups.In some measure, each, Ronaldo and Messi, contributed to turning the game into a globally recognised mode of recreation. Cristiano Ronaldo is the first-ever striker who has scored more than 100 goals in three leagues: the Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A. Given that he boasts close to 600 million Instagram followers, one can say that he is a global appeal and the most-followed sportsman across all forms of social media. Also Read: Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo—find out whose team is more valuable in 2025 club rankingsLionel Messi is the only player with a record of 20 goals and 20 assists in a single European first-class league season. He holds records for goals in a calendar year-only 91 goals in 2012, and is still the living representative of creative genius and consistency at the highest level.The achievements of these two rewrote the record books and inspired an entire generation of players and fans.