Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: All the stats, trophies, records and form in 2021

Two of the greatest players in the history of football, combining a total of over 1400 goals and 500 assists. Take a look at the achievements and current situation of this famous rivalry.

Picture credit: Twitter

Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have produced some very memorable moments on the football pitch, and surprisingly they've been doing that consistently for more than 15 years now. The duo have won a combined total of 11 Ballon d'Or's, which is an award of high prestige, while numerous star footballers have missed out on the prestigious award because of the domination from Messi and Ronaldo.

Interestingly, year 2021 has proved out to be full of surprises for both the footballing greats.

Lionel Messi left FC Barcelona and plays for PSG now due to Barca's financial problems. The 33-year-old Argentine is currently struggling in his new club with injuries coming into play and a change of role in terms of positioning.

No one deserved the 2021 Ballon d'Or more than Lionel Messi pic.twitter.com/1ZGJGsbVg0 — Ishan (@LionelFutbol) November 5, 2021

However, 2021 is not that bad a season for Lionel Messi as before joining PSG, the little magician won Copa America with Argentina and scored 30 goals in 35 matches in La Liga for his former club FC Barcelona. However, Messi is yet to score a league goal for PSG, but has scored 3 goals for the French club in the Champions League.

Messi has won 34 club career trophies with FC Barcelona including 10 La Liga and 4 Champions League titles. Also, he has won the Ballon d'Or for a record six times which is the most by any player ever to play football.

Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, once again impressed with his return to Manchester United as the striker has time and again saved the Red Devils' blushes by scoring crucial goals.

Cristiano Ronaldo ~ The Most Clutch Player this sport has ever witnessed pic.twitter.com/EYaSks49N4 — Paarth (@paarthblanco) November 2, 2021

Ronaldo took no time to get off the mark and after returning to England, the 36-year-old has so far scored 9 goals from the 11 matches he has played. In the process, he even became the top scorer in three different big leagues England, Spain and Italy, thus creating a new record. 

Cristiano Ronaldo scored 29 goals for Juventus in Serie A and also become Portugal's top scorer with 111 goals for his country in 2021.

The rivalry between these two can define a whole era and decade of football. Who's better? It's an endless debate with too many opinions from too many people but one thing is for sure that Ronaldo and Messi will go down as two of the greatest footballers that the world has ever witnessed.