Comparing Lionel Messi’s stats with Cristiano Ronaldo’s since leaving Europe
Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi left Europe behind in 2023, but how do their stats compare since then? We’ve crunched the numbers.
In the case of Ronaldo, he officially signed for Saudi side Al-Nassr at the start of 2023 and it didn’t take him long to find his scoring boots in the Middle East.
He scored an impressive 14 goals in 16 league appearances during the second half of the season and quickly established himself as one of the best players in the league.
His best scoring season since leaving Europe came during 2023-24 as he scored a whopping 50 goals across all competitions.
Impressively, during the calendar year of 2023, the Portuguese superstar scored more goals than any other player across world football, outscoring the likes of Harry Kane, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe.
He managed to maintain his strong record last season, scoring 35 goals in 41 appearances for Al-Nassr across all competitions.
Since leaving Europe, Ronaldo has also maintained his presence in the Portuguese national side, having scored 20 international goals since January 2023.
In the case of Messi, he left Europe a few months after Ronaldo, leaving PSG at the end of the 2022-23 campaign.
Since then, he’s been doing the business for Inter Miami, where he’s scored an impressive 50 goals in 63 appearances.
At club level, Messi has got his hands on more silverware than Ronaldo since leaving Europe, having won the Leagues Cup and Supporters’ Sheilf with Inter Miami.
Like Ronaldo, Messi has maintained his reputation on the international stage since leaving Europe, having produced 14 goal contributions in his last 18 appearances for Argentina.
Both players have won international trophies since leaving Europe, with Messi winning Copa America in 2024 and Ronaldo winning the Nations League earlier this year.
While both players are now in the twilight years of their careers, neither of them plans on retiring anytime soon.
Indeed, Ronaldo recently penned a fresh two-year deal with Al-Nassr, valid until 2027. Messi is out of contract at the end of 2025, but he plans on playing until at least the World Cup next summer.
In total, Ronaldo has scored 60 more goals than Messi since leaving Europe, but he has played considerably more matches and has taken more penalties.
Despite playing 55 fewer matches, Messi has the edge when it comes to assists, having produced five more than Ronaldo.
Here’s the full breakdown of how Ronaldo’s stats compare with Messi’s since both players left Europe.
Ronaldo stats since leaving Europe
Games: 136 ⭐
Goals: 119 ⭐
Assists: 23
Goal contributions: 142 ⭐
Penalties: 29 ⭐
Free-kicks: 6 ⭐
Minutes per goal: 99.7 ⭐
Minutes per non-penalty goal: 131.8
Minutes per goal or assist: 83.5
Messi stats since leaving Europe
Games: 81
Goals: 59
Assists: 28 ⭐
Goal contributions: 87
Penalties: 2
Free-kicks: 6 ⭐
Minutes per goal: 109.8
Minutes per non-penalty goal: 113.6 ⭐
Minutes per goal or assist: 74.4 ⭐
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