Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi, the eternal pique

LAge is just a number, and the case of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo is a good proof of it. For the two stars of the beautiful game, the only figures that matter are the ones they register every weekend when drilling the nets with their respective teams.

The latest record starring one of these two legends came in the form of goal re-poker, those achieved by Messi ante Estonia in the friendly match played by the Argentine team (already has 90 with the albiceleste) last Sunday.

But, almost at the same time, Cristiano Ronaldo did not miss the opportunity either and scored two goals in the victory of Portugal against Switzerland in the Nations League. With this double, the Portuguese already has 117 goals with the national team in the 188 international matches he has played since his debut, which allowed him to break the Iranian’s historical world record in 2021 Ali Daeiwho scored 109 goals for his team.

All this in a campaign that both players have closed with goalscoring figures that had not been registered for several decades. In the case of Messi, his scoring record at club level (11 goals) is the worst since the 2005/2006 season, in which he scored eight goals. Not in vain, Leo has added more goals (14) with Argentina this season than with his team, a milestone that has happened for the first time in his career. Although, despite how striking such a fact is, we cannot ignore the fifteen assists that the Argentine has distributed in the domestic competition, which in a certain way make up for his poor filmmaking background. For his part, for Cristiano (24 goals) it is also the lowest figure since 2006/2007, in which he scored 23 goals.

They remain in the gap

Leaving aside the component of age and a small logical drop as a result of the passing of the years, we cannot forget that the two cracks have lived through difficult times, with two changes of team during the past summer and campaigns that have not met the expectations of PSG y Manchester United nor their goals at the club level. The Paris Saint-Germain culminated one more year with the achievement of the Ligue 1 title, although the elimination in the Champions League against Real Madrid and the poor performance in the Cup left a very bad taste in the mouth. On the other hand, the English team has not even been able to qualify for the next edition of the Championssigning a disappointing sixth place in the Premier League and falling in the maximum continental competition in the tie played against Atletico Madrid.

In their now historic particular duel, both continue with very similar records at the club level. Messi addition 682 goals between Barça and PSGwhile Cristiano Ronaldo has achieved 699 after passing through Sporting de Portugal, Manchester United, Real Madrid y Juventus. The balance definitely tips in favor of the Portuguese when adding the goals with his national teams, since Cristiano has scored 27 goals more than the Argentine. However, it is also worth noting the difference in goals from the penalty spot, as Ronaldo has forty more.

But the competitiveness of these two legends goes beyond the mere total figure, since they also fight to be the king of doubles, triples, pokers and répokers. At the club level, in terms of hat-tricks and poker they are tied, since they have 42 trebles and 6 times in which they have scored four goals, while in re-pokers (two for Cristiano and one for Messi) the fight is extremely even and, if we add the one achieved with Argentina last Sunday, they would also sign a draw.

The comparison that never stops

As far as collective titles are concerned, Messi has more than Cristiano, with 40 trophies compared to 34 for the Portuguese. This season, the PSG footballer has added two new achievements to his extensive resume thanks to winning Ligue 1 and the recent Finalissima with Argentina won in Wembley against Italy. If we go to the individual level, the difference is less, although it is also favorable to Messi, with 30 recognitions compared to 26 for Ronaldo.

However, both Put yourself as a Christian They already seem focused on the next World Cup in Qatar, as evidenced by their good performances with their respective teams. In the face of his preparation, the renewed projects of his clubs will be important, to which new faces will arrive both on the bench and in the squad. Less than six months before the start of the World Cup, the stars are taking positions for what could be their last major tournament with their respective national teams. The fight to reach the finish line beforehand continues to be as voracious as it has always been.