Comparing Messi’s stats to Ronaldo’s – Who has outperformed the other?

After years of setting the La Liga on fire with their unparalleled rivalry, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo effectively defined the football of a whole generation.

It seemed like the end of an era when the latter ended his long-term alliance with Real Madrid and joined Serie A giants Juventus last summer. While they have been separated by distance and different leagues, it is safe to suggest that their famous rivalry is far from over.

While Barcelona are firmly perched atop the La Liga standings, Juventus find themselves one point behind leaders Inter Milan. With that in mind, let’s compare the stats of both modern-day legends and conclude as to who has better in the season so far.

Cristiano Ronaldo

In 11 Serie A games so far, the 34-year-old has bagged 6 goals and provided 1 assist. With an average of 6 shots per game and a passing accuracy of 80.7%, he has also won an average of 1.6 aerial duels per game.

As far as the Champions League is concerned, which became known as his favourite hunting ground, the Portuguese has scored merely one goal in 5 appearances so far. As things stand, Ronaldo has registered an overall rating of 7.55.

Lionel Messi

Messi, on the other hand, has played 9 La Liga games for Barcelona but with returns of 9 goals and 5 assists, he already has an upper edge on Ronaldo.

Having registered an average of 3.6 shots per game with a pass accuracy of 80.6%, Messi is only winning an average of 0.3 aerial duels per game. With 5 appearances to his name in the Champions League, the nippy Barcelona ace has scored 2 goals while providing 3 assists. In addition, Messi has an overall rating of 8.61.

Verdict

Barring the aerial duels, Messi has outperformed Ronaldo in nearly every aspect so far. Thus, it goes without saying that the 32-year-old is enjoying a richer vein of form.