Comparing Messi and Ronaldo’s stats as 37-year-olds – which veteran has aged better?
Lionel Messi has just turned 38. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner is winding down his great career with MLS outfit Inter Miami, but how does he compare to his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo at the same stage?
We’ve decided to take a closer look at the two era-defining goalscorers and their stats purely from their 37th year.
Messi turned 37 midway through Argentina’s successful campaign to retain their Copa America crown.
The day after his birthday, he featured in a group-stage 1-0 victory over Chile before starting each of their knockout outings.
He wasn’t his usual prolific self in the latter stages, notching one goal against Canada but failing to score or assist against Ecuador and Colombia, while an injury saw him withdrawn midway through the final.
While it was clear to see that Messi is slowing down and couldn’t quite replicate his devastatingly brilliant performances from the 2021 Copa America or 2022 World Cup, he went on to silence any critics who’ve suggested he’s completely lost his touch.
Messi ended his first full Major League Soccer campaign with the Supporters Shield – the trophy given to the side with the best regular season record – and was inspirational for Inter Miami with 21 goals and 10 assists from just 20 appearances in the 2024 MLS season.
The veteran has recently served up a reminder of his enduring quality with a dazzling man-of-the-match performance in Inter Miami’s Club World Cup victory over Porto.
He scored the match-winning free-kick as Inter Miami came from behind to win 2-1, the first time in history an MLS team has beaten a European side in a competitive fixture.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, endured a pretty miserable year as a 37-year-old – arguably the worst of his professional career.
It is worth bearing in mind, though, that Ronaldo was still playing at the top European level for most of his 37th year.
When he celebrated his 37th birthday in February 2022, Manchester United were licking their wounds after a shock FA Cup defeat to Championship side Middlesbrough.
That set the tone for a difficult 12 months ahead. They ended the 2021-22 Premier League campaign in poor form and ended up an underwhelming sixth, although Ronaldo ended it with a respectable 18 league goals (24 in all competitions).
The following season, he struggled to see eye-to-eye with Erik ten Hag and often found himself sitting on the bench.
He ended his unhappy second stint at Old Trafford by terminating his contract in November 2022.
By the time he turned 38, he’d drawn his European career to a close and signed for Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr.
But that was only after a desperately disappointing 2022 World Cup. While Messi ended up lifting the prestigious trophy out in Qatar, a 37-year-old Ronaldo struggled badly, notching just one goal and zero assists and finding himself benched in the knockout stages.
He was substituted on during their shock 1-0 quarter-final defeat to Morocco, but he couldn’t turn the tie around.
Ronaldo notched just 17 goals in 45 appearances for club and country as a 37-year-old, a stark contrast to the near goal-a-game average he’s boasted out in Saudi Arabia since turning 38.
We’ve crunched the numbers and compared how Messi’s stats at the age of 37 compare to Ronaldo’s.
Lionel Messi as a 37-year-old
Games: 43
Minutes played: 3378 ⭐
Goals: 29 ⭐
Assists: 10 ⭐
Penalties scored: 1
Hat-tricks: 2
Free-kicks scored: 3 ⭐
Minutes per goal: 116 ⭐
Minutes per non-penalty goal: 120 ⭐
Minutes per goal or assist: 86 ⭐
Cristiano Ronaldo as a 37-year-old
Games: 45 ⭐
Minutes played: 3356
Goals: 17
Assists: 4
Penalties scored: 4 ⭐
Hat-tricks: 2
Free-kicks scored: 1
Minutes per goal: 197
Minutes per non-penalty goal: 258
Minutes per goal or assist: 159
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