Comparing Cristiano Ronaldo’s record at Juventus to Lionel Messi’s at Barca
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have given us one of the defining rivalries of modern-day top-level football.
The two superstars have won 11 of the last 12 Ballon D’or (six for Messi, five for Ronaldo), while the two players are way out in front as the top scorers in the history of the Champions League, having won the competition nine teams between them (five for Ronaldo, four for Messi).
The rivalry arguably peaked while the two players were banging in the goals for historic La Liga foes Barcelona and Real Madrid, becoming each club’s all-time top scorer.
While Messi has remained at Barcelona, the only club he’s ever represented at senior level, Ronaldo made a shock move to Italian giants Juventus, after nine years in the Spanish capital, back in the summer of 2018.
So how do the two players’ records stack up against one another since then? Here’s how their records compare, going back to the start of the 2018-19 season.
Lionel Messi
Games: 140
Starts: 129
Sub appearances: 11
Goals: 119
Assists: 63
Penalties scored: 17
Minutes per goal: 100
Minutes per non-penalty goal: 117
Minutes per goal or assist: 65
Champions League Record: 2018-19: Semi-Final (Liverpool), 2019-20: Quarter-Final (Bayern), 2020-21: Round Of 16 (PSG)
Champions League Goals Scored (Knockouts): 20 (9)
Champions League Assists (Knockouts): 9 (3)
Trophies Won: 3 – 2018 Supercopa, La Liga 2018-19, Copa del Rey 2020-21
Cristiano Ronaldo
Games: 131
Starts: 126
Sub appearances: 5
Goals: 100
Assists: 22
Penalties scored: 29
Minutes per goal: 113
Minutes per non-penalty goal: 159
Minutes per goal or assist: 92
Champions League Record: 2018-19: Quarter-final (Ajax), 2019-20: Round Of 16 (Lyon), 2020-21: Round Of 16 (Porto)
Champions League Goals Scored (Knockouts): 14 (7)
Champions League Assists (Knockouts): 5 (1)
Trophies Won: 4* – 2018-19 Serie A, 2019-20 Serie A, 2018 Supercoppa, 2020 Supercoppa (*2021 Coppa Italia final to be played vs Atalanta)
More from Planet Football
A definitive breakdown of Messi and Ronaldo’s comparative career records
Can you name every winner of the European Golden Shoe since 2000?
‘He did the most audacious piece of skill’ – Ronaldo’s early days at Man Utd
What they said: The 12 players to play alongside Messi and Ronaldo