Published 12:43 IST, October 10th 2019
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: International career comparison
The two greats, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are giving each other a run for their money since years now. Here is look at their International careers.
- SportFit
- 3 min read
Talk about football and the first two names that will come in anyone’s mind will surely be Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The two giants have been pushing each other to the brink and breaking records for years now. Both are awarded with the most prestigious football award ‘Ballon D’Or’ five times each. The El Classico used to have a different charm when the two legends represented their respective clubs, Barcelona (Messi) and Real Madrid (Ronaldo) during the clash.
The bittersweet relation between the legends has forced people to take sides on ‘Who is the G.O.A.T?’ debate. A neutral football fan won’t ever be able to draw the line between the two and statistics prove that. Ronaldo and Messi, both have incredible statistics for their club and country. With international break going on, let’s have a look at their terrific numbers for their respective countries.
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: International Statistics
- Name: Cristiano Ronaldo (34)
- Country: Portugal
- First Portugal appearance: Aug 20, 2003
- Total appearances: 160
- Stats: 93 goals and 28 assists
- Hat-tricks: 8
- Penalties: 9 (6 missed)
- International goal ratio: 0.58
- Name: Lionel Messi (32)
- Country: Argentina
- First Country appearance: Aug 17, 2005
- Total appearances: 136
- Stats: 68 goals and 41 assists
- Hat-trick: 6
- Penalties: 14 (3 missed)
- International goal ratio: 0.50
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: At World Cups
Cristiano Ronaldo World Cup goals
2006: 1
2010: 1
2014: 1
2018: 4
Lionel Messi World Cup goals
2006: 1
2010: 0
2014: 4
2018: 1
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: International Honours
Ronaldo international honours
Uefa European Championship titles: 1 (2016)
Uefa Nations League titles: 1 (2019)
Messi international honours
Fifa U-20 World Cup: 1 (2005)
Olympic Gold Medal: 1 (2008)
Updated 23:28 IST, October 11th 2019