Head-to-head.
Across both domestic and international ties, the duo have met each other 36 times – the first of which came in the Champions League while Ronaldo was still a Manchester United player in his first stint there back in 2008.
Who is better Messi Or Ronaldo? Ronaldo has scored a record number of international goals and appearances, but Messi has won more Ballon d'Or awards (7). Messi has spent most of his playing career in Spain and France, while Ronaldo has played in Portugal, England, Spain, and Italy.
In his 1,152 career matches at club and international level, Ronaldo has found the net 827 times with 236 assists. That puts him clearly above Messi who has 799 goals, but the Argentinian has played a significantly lower number of games (1,013).
According to an old interview that the Argentine had with DAZN, the player who has cost him the most to overcome because his marking was somewhat exaggerated, was that of Pablo Maffeo in Girona, when Messi was still in Spain, playing for Barcelona, so nothing was saved against that defense.
"Over the years I had some great battles with Ashley Cole, he does not give you a second to breathe," Ronaldo told Coach Mag. "He was such a tenacious player when he was at his peak, quick, tough in the tackle. You knew it would never be an easy game."
Cristiano Ronaldo names Ashley Cole as the toughest defender he's ever faced| All Football.
Lionel Messi - The King of Football
Lionel Messi is an unstoppable football player from Argentina. After Diego, Messi has taken the title of the best football player from Argentina.
Ronaldo has received praise for his physical attributes, goalscoring skills, leadership and performance under pressure, while Messi is lauded for his combination of dribbling, playmaking, passing and goalscoring.
Argentine superstar Lionel Messi is regarded as the king of dribbling skills in football.
An analysis of the players' statistics reveals that Ronaldo was labelled the undisputed GOAT of soccer with the most overall goals, Champions League goals, club goals and assists, and international caps and goals.
Lionel Messi is often considered the GOAT of football, following his exploits with Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Argentina.
Messi beats Ronaldo to GOAT status after data analysis, says Liverpool FC's research director. The rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo has riveted football pundits and primary schoolchildren alike, fuelling endless debates over who is the greatest player of modern times – or ever.
Messi leads the head-to-head record with 16 wins in competitive matches to Ronaldo's 11, while there have been nine draws in matches involving the pair.
Ronaldo has scored 701 goals at all club competitions while Messi has 695 – making them the leading goal scorers at club level in football history. But the Portuguese has played 100 more games than Messi, giving the latter a better game per goal average.
Messi has now scored 702 goals in Europe's top five leagues, one more than Ronaldo. The Argentine has reached the mark in 105 lesser games than the Portuguese. Messi scored 672 goals in 778 games during his legendary spell at Barcelona.
While Messi seems to have his neck out in front in terms of general success, there is little argument over Ronaldo's status as football's best athlete. Cristiano is truly the prototype of an ideal footballing specimen, as proved by his pace, power and leaping ability.
Kylian Mbappe thinks Cristiano Ronaldo is football's greatest-ever player and will debate for at least an HOUR that he's better than Lionel Messi, an ex-team-mate claims... with the Frenchman to face his PSG pal in the World Cup final.
Brunei prince Faiq Bolkiah tops the list, with Messi and Ronaldo following in. Faiq Bolkiah is a Bruneian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Chonburi F.C. in Thailand and the Brunei national team. Bolkiah is the richest footballer in the world, with an estimated net worth of $20 billion.
Neymar is widely considered one of the best footballers of his generation, but always with the caveat that he, like everyone else, is outside the realm of Ronaldo and Messi, who are generally regarded as two of the greatest of all time. But former AC Milan right-back Cafu insisted that Neymar is the best of the three.
Diego Godin had the privilege to face two of the finest players in history during his time in Spain. He managed to record a remarkable moment against Lionel Messi when Atletico Madrid clashed with Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals in 2016.
Weaknesses: Goes to ground far too easily which attracts the ire of supporters and sometimes tries a trick when a simple pass would do. Career high: Winning the Champions League with Manchester United in 2008, and subsequently being named FIFA's World Player of the Year.
Lionel Messi surprisingly named Girona defender Pablo Maffeo as the most difficult challenge he has ever faced. The Argentine defender hounded Lionel Messi and deprived his compatriot of the ball on several occasions.