Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: Who really is the better footballer when you compare ALL of the stats, figures and trophies?

AFTER collecting his Best Fifa Men’s Player 2016 award last night, Cristiano Ronaldo may wish to pause and take stock of what has been an incredible 12 months.

The 31-year-old forward added the gong to a fourth Ballon d’Or, which he received last month in recognition of his efforts in helping Real Madrid win the Champions League and steering Portugal to the European Championships.

There is a never-ending war going on to decide whether Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi is the better footballer, with general opinion completely divided

But Ronaldo remains one Ballon d’Or and one Champions League winners’ medal behind his great nemesis, Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, and the debate rages on over who is king.

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Football Whispers have analysed the two players’ mind-boggling statistics in an attempt to decipher who has the upper hand.

Goals

PERHAPS the most staggering achievement of both Ronaldo and Messi over the last decade is the sheer amount of goals they have scored – for both club and country.
In 693 total career appearances for Sporting CP, Manchester United and Real Madrid, Ronaldo has scored a phenomenal 504 goals. That gives him a goals-to-games average of 0.73.
One-club man Messi has turned out 585 times for Barcelona and bagged 489 goals for an even more remarkable average of 0.84 goals per game.
Where the goals statistics get really interesting, however, is when starting the comparison from Ronaldo’s move to Real in 2009.

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Since that time, Ronaldo has played 368 matches in all competitions and scored a jaw-dropping 381 goals, averaging 1.03 goals per game.
Perhaps spurred on by a desire to outdo Ronaldo, Messi has scored even more goals since the 2009-10 season began –hitting the net 398 times – though he has played more games than the Portuguese (392), making his goals-per-game average 1.02.
Both men have inspired each other on to greater heights – fittingly summed up by the fact that Ronaldo and Messi have both scored 271 La Liga goals since August 2009.

Overall attacking threat

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have been battling for supremacy for years

DESPITE those eye-watering amounts, neither Ronaldo nor Messi could be characterised as a in the mould of a Gary Lineker or a Ruud van Nistelrooy.
They both have far more strings to their bow than that.
In addition to his goal-scoring exploits, since the beginning of the 2009-10 campaign, Ronaldo has registered 78 assists and, on average, made 1.78 key passes and completed 1.84 successful take-ons per La Liga game.
However, the 31-year-old has clearly evolved from the dynamic, athletic speedster of his early Madrid career, into the ruthlessly efficient force we see today.

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He averaged 3.1 dribbles per game in his first season at the Bernabeu, while he now completes just 0.8 take-ons per outing.
If Ronaldo edged Messi when breaking down their potency in front of goal, the pocket-sized wizard comes out on top when assessing their overall attacking contribution.
In the same time period, the 29-year-old has made 104 assists and averaged 2.15 key passes and completed a dizzying 4.3 dribbles per game.

Transfer value

COMPARING each player’s cumulative transfer fees would tell us very little – Messi has been at the Nou Camp since his early teens after all.
Ronaldo commanded a total of £92.25million for Sporting and United, but at any point over the last decade, his Barca counterpart could've fetched a world record fee for their own superstar.
But we can analyse the estimated market value of Ronaldo and Messi.

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According to transfermarkt.com, Messi has been valued at a career-high £102m since August 2012, having risen from his previous level of £85m between August 2010 and February 2012.
Ronaldo is currently estimated to be worth £92.5m, down from his previous peak of £102m in July 2015. This is perhaps a reflection of the fact that, turning 32 next month, the former Red Devil is theoretically closer to the end of his career than Messi.

Team honours

IT'S fair to say that both Ronaldo and Messi have a helped keep their respective sides’ trophy cabinets well stocked.
Between United and Madrid, Ronaldo has played a vital role in 19 major trophy successes: four league titles, seven domestic cups, three Champions League titles, two Uefa Supercups and three Fifa World Club Cups.
Messi’s medal haul is marginally better, with an incredible eight league titles, 11 domestic cups, four Champions Leagues, three Uefa Supercups and three World Club Cups, for a total of 29 major trophies.

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But Ronaldo has one feather in his cap that Messi does not – a trophy for his country.
While Ronnie was helping Portugal to an improbable triumph at Euro 2016, Messi briefly retired from Argentina duty after being left frustrated at another failed Copa America campaign.
Messi’s greatest triumph with his country remains an Olympic gold medal from 2004.

Individual honours

Cristiano Ronaldo won the 2016 Ballon d'Or ahead of Lionel Messi

NEARLY every individual award there is has been dominated by the pair for the best part of a decade – and that doesn’t look like changing anytime soon.
But the Ballon d’Or is the honour that is prized most highly, with Ronaldo picking up the golden trophy for a fourth time recently, while Messi has collected the award a record five times.
Their goal-scoring exploits have been recognised with three European Golden Shoe awards for Messi and four for Ronaldo, while both men have also won the Uefa Best Player awards three times.

Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d'Or a record five times while at Barcelona

Domestically, Messi has been crowned La Liga Player of the Years six times, with Ronaldo collecting the same trophy once, in addition to two PFA Player of the Year and one PFA Young Player of the Year awards from his time in England.
Messi was also recognised as a budding star when awarded the Golden Boy trophy for the best young player in Europe in 2005.

Conclusion

It's nigh-on impossible to split the two stars, but which is your favourite?

THE debate over who is better will likely forever remain a raging inferno, but it is important to stop and appreciate the brilliance of both.
When their careers inevitably come to an end, both will be remembered as two of the best players to ever have kicked a football.
The analysis has shown that any difference between the two, no matter which way you cut it up, is razor-thin.
Pick your preference – but enjoy them while they’re still around.

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