Messi vs Ronaldo: Ultimate battle between trophy glory and goal scoring greatness
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As of July 2025, Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo are still performing. Their whole careers goals, trophies, and more let's be compared to reveal how close the contest actually is.
Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo: Goals and matches
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored more goals than any other male football player in history. Including 138 goals as representing Portugal, he has scored 938 goals over 1261 matches. Among his 872 goals in 1086 games, Lionel Messi has 112 for Argentina.
Christiano Ronaldo separates himself by his shooting strength, finishing, and headers. Lionel Messi is known for his deft passing, dribbling, and important goals.
Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo: Trophies at club level
Lionel Messi has taken 45 awards with his teams. Four Champions League titles and twelve league titles such as La Liga and Ligue 1 are included. Spanning England, Spain, and Italy, Christiano Ronaldo has earned 34 trophies with teams all over, including 5 Champions League crowns and 7 league titles.
While Lionel Messi has more league championships and assists plus team assistance, Christiano Ronaldo has more cups.
Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo: International achievements
Lionel Messi won the World Cup in 2022 with Argentina. He also won the Copa America in 2021 and 2024, and the Finalissima in 2022. In total, he has 4 major international titles. Christiano Ronaldo helped Portugal win the Euro in 2016, and then the UEFA Nations League in 2019 and 2025. He has 3 major international trophies.
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Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo: Awards and records
Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d'Or on 8 occasions more than any other player in history. Five times it has been won by Christiano Ronaldo. Compared to Christiano Ronaldo's four, Lionel Messi has also claimed silver and gold six European Golden Shoe awards. Seven times Christiano Ronaldo has led the Champions League in scoring, whereas Lionel Messi has six. In one calendar year, 2012, Lionel Messi broke the world record with 91 goals.
Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo: Style of play
Lionel Messi is a left-footed player. Known for rapid dribbling, short passes, and opportunities, he Primarily plays at FC Barcelona, he currently plays at Inter Miami. Right-footed Christiano Ronaldo is well known for his leaping height, strong shots, and lightning runs. Having formerly played at Real Madrid, Juventus, and Manchester United, he is now in Saudi Arabia.
Also Read:
Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo: When they played against each other
Over 36 encounters have Christiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi shared.
Lionel Messi won 16 times; Christiano Ronaldo won 11; the other 9 games ended in draws. Though they both have surpassed 20 goals in those contests. In February 2023, Al Nassr and PSG played an official friendly game against each other.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have both changed football forever. They have scored, assisted, won titles, and stayed at the top for a long time. It's hard to say who is truly better. What matters most is that we got to see both legends play at the same time.
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