Comparing the statistics of who is better between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi is always interesting. After more than 15 years of Messi and Ronaldo dominating European football, how did the two perform after leaving Europe?
Cristiano Ronaldo left Europe in January 2023. After being involved in a conflict with Erik ten Hag at Manchester United, Ronaldo moved to Saudi Arabia. He plays for the club Al Nassr.
Six months later, it was Lionel Messi’s turn to leave Europe. La Pulga also had an offer from Saudi Arabia, but chose another path. Messi joined Inter Miami and took part in Major League Soccer (MLS).
Ronaldo is still at the top level even though he is no longer in Europe, as is Messi. They are both the main force for their respective teams. So, what has their performance been like so far?
Ronaldo maintained his sharpness at Al Nassr. In the 2023/2024 season, Ronaldo became the top scorer with a record of 35 goals. He was far ahead of Aleksandar Mitrovic who scored 28 goals for Al Hilal. In addition, Ronaldo also made 11 assists last season.
Ronaldo is the mainstay of Al Nassr’s front line. Sadio Mane, Talisca, and Otavio have helped Ronaldo a lot to score goals.
Here are Lionel Messi’s statistics at Inter Miami:
- Match (core): 64 (63)
- Goals: 58
- Assists: 15
- Shots (per 90 minutes): 6.16
- Shots on target (per 90 minutes): 2.45
- Goals scored (per 90 minutes): 1.19
- Goals and assists (per 90 minutes): 1.57
- Assists (per 90 minutes): 0.37
Lionel Messi immediately became a key player for Inter Miami. In his first season, out of six matches, La Pulga only scored one goal in the MLS.
However, in the second season, Lionel Messi performed well. Messi found his best playing rhythm. In addition, the arrival of Luis Suarez also helped him a lot. Their connection has been built for a long time.
Here are Lionel Messi’s statistics at Inter Miami:
- Match (core): 29 (22)
- Goals: 25
- Assists: 16
- Shots (per 90 minutes): 4.92
- Shots on target (per 90 minutes): 2.05
- Goals scored (per 90 minutes): 0.83
- Goals and assists (per 90 minutes): 1.60
- Assists (per 90 minutes): 0.77
Based on the statistics above, Ronaldo has a better goal average than Messi. Meanwhile, Messi’s side has a better assist record than the Portuguese player.
This is inseparable from the role of both players on the field. It is natural that Ronaldo has a good goal record because he is a center forward. Meanwhile, at Inter Miami, Messi is the creator of attacks for Luis Suarez as a targetman.
Who is better? Both are equally good at playing their roles for the team. They make a huge contribution to their team, especially in the attacking aspect.
