The debate on who is a better player Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo is never going to end but as the decade 2010-2019 is about to conclude, here is a look at the stats of the two world-class players during this time.
Club goals:
With 522 goals to his name, Messi is 44 goals ahead of Ronaldo, who has netted 478 times. Where Messi averages over 52 goals per year, Ronaldo averages 48.
In 2012, Messi was at his very best for his club as he netted 79 goals for Barca and 91 overall. However, it was in 2013 when Ronaldo outshined everyone scoring 59 goals for Real Madrid.
International goals:
Ronaldo’s tally of 77 goals for Portugal in the decade outplays Messi’s 57 for Argentina which he netted during the same tenure.
Club Trophies:
Where Messi won 23 trophies with Barcelona in the decade, including seven La Liga titles. Ronaldo won two La Liga titles with Real Madrid and one Serie A title with Juventus.
However, the 34-year-old has surpassed Messi when it comes to the Champions League, winning the tournament an impressive four times (2014, 2016, 2017, 2018) in comparison to the Argentine’s two (2011 and 2015).
Ballon d’Or awards:
In the decade, Lionel Messi has bagged the award 5 times in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2019, whereas his old-foe Ronaldo has clinched the award on 4 such occasions in the year 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017.
Ending of the decade:
Messi ended on a positive note as he scored in Barcelona’s 4-1 win over Alaves in their La Liga tie on Saturday (IST), whereas Ronaldo failed to defy Juventus’ 1-3 loss to Lazio in the final of the Italian Super Cup on Sunday.