Messi vs. Ronaldo GOAT scorecard: The ultimate year-by-year comparison

Lionel Messi will play in his third World Cup final on Sunday, a match that feels like the definitive end of an era for soccer's great 21st-century individual battle.

Messi and his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated the sport for the past two decades as titans of their trade, serial recordbreakers and trophy fiends. 

They're the two GOATs in a debate that refuses to die down or avoid tedium.

Hopefully, with the passage of time – at the risk of emulating the famous Rio Ferdinand meme – there'll be a willingness and, indeed, an enjoyment of appreciating both.

When you lay it all out, all of their accomplishments year by year, alongside one another, it's easy to appreciate the full and astonishing body of work.

But it wouldn't be much fun if we didn't score them annually as another means of arguing over who was best, would it? We can all grow up in good time.

MORE: Lionel Messi, Argentina add to World Cup comeback history

Messi vs. Ronaldo GOAT scorecard year-by-year

For the purposes of this exercise, we're going to begin in 2005. By this point, Ronaldo had already established himself as one of the hottest rising stars in the global game after moving from Sporting CP to Manchester United, where he played and scored in a 3-0 win over Millwall in the 2004 FA Cup final.

At Euro 2004, where hosts Portugal lost in the final to surprise package Greece, he became the nation's darling. Ronaldo scored seven goals and supplied seven assists in 16 appearances for the Selecao in 2004, a year in which Messi only appeared seven times for Barcelona as a 17-year-old and was not yet in the Argentina picture.

Given that Leo became a first-team fixture for Barca during the 2005/06 campaign, when he also made an infamous full international debut, it feels fair to begin our comparison in 2005.

All statistics as per the Messi vs. Ronaldo online database.

2005

Ronaldo's bid for the first league title of his career ran into another special compatriot as Jose Mourinho arrived in England to steer Chelsea to a dominant Premier League title win. Messi collected his first two senior trophies but, as the statistics below show, he was still a bit-part player

SN YEAR-BY-YEAR SCORECARD: Messi 0-1 Ronaldo

2006

Messi enjoyed a breakout season as Frank Rijkaard's Barcelona swept to La Liga and Champions League glory. However, a thigh problem ruled him out of the run-in and injuries would remain an issue for Messi for a little while longer. Ronaldo won the EFL Cup in England and helped Portugal to a World Cup semifinal.

SN YEAR-BY-YEAR SCORECARD: Messi 0-2 Ronaldo

2007

Both were starting to rack up big numbers and Messi's Clasico hat-trick in a 3-3 draw with Real Madrid announced him as a superstar. Ronaldo swept the board at England's end-of-season awards as Manchester United regained the Premier League title and both players appeared on a Ballon d'Or podium they would make their own, sitting behind winner Kaka.

SN YEAR-BY-YEAR SCORECARD: Messi 0-3 Ronaldo

2008

Ronaldo picked up his first Ballon d'Or after a supreme season at Manchester United, retaining the Premier League and winning the Champions League under Alex Ferguson. Messi and Barcelona endured a disappointing 2007/08, but his new head coach at Camp Nou allowed him to go and win Olympic gold with Argentina, the start of a huge influence upon the forward's career.

SN YEAR-BY-YEAR SCORECARD: Messi 0-4 Ronaldo

2009

The year Messi went nuclear as the jewel in Pep Guardiola's all-conquering Barcelona. The decision to deploy Messi as a false nine for a 6-2 demolition of Real Madrid proved career-altering for both men. Even though United and Ronaldo were beaten in the Champions League final by Messi and Barca, Madrid had a clear idea who they needed to try to close a suddenly yawning gap.

SN YEAR-BY-YEAR SCORECARD: Messi 1-4 Ronaldo

2010

Ronaldo made a prolific start to life in Madrid, but Messi and Barca remained on another level. Their bid for a second Champions League crown fell at the semifinal stage against eventual winners Inter Milan, a result that would bring a familiar protagonist back into their story. Messi went goalless at the 2010 World Cup as Argentina played under Diego Maradona's haphazard management. Ronaldo and Portugal were knocked out by a Spain side packed with Barcelona stars in the last 16.

SN YEAR-BY-YEAR SCORECARD: Messi 2-4 Ronaldo

2011

By this stage, the numbers put up by both men were relentlessly brutal. Ronaldo outscored Messi by 60-59 over the 12 months, and there was also a hair's breadth between their minutes per goal contribution ratios. Ronaldo did score the winner against Barca in the Copa del Rey final but the Blaugrana saw off their bitter foes to lift La Liga and the Champions League. A penalty shootout to Uruguay on home soil at the Copa America marked Messi's main note of disappointment in 2011.

SN YEAR-BY-YEAR SCORECARD: Messi 3-4 Ronaldo

2012

Ronaldo and Madrid won La Liga in 2011/12, amassing a record points haul. However, Mourinho burnt bridges en route to glory and Barca resumed the ascendancy under Tito Vilanova. Messi hitting a scarcely credible 91 goals across the calendar year helped matters.

SN YEAR-BY-YEAR SCORECARD: Messi 4-4 Ronaldo

2013

Messi and Barca regained the Spanish title, but both of the Clasico clubs were hammered in the Champions League semifinals by Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. Even though he went trophyless, Ronaldo's ridiculous scoring feats got him back on the top step of the Ballon d'Or podium.

SN YEAR-BY-YEAR SCORECARD: Messi 4-5 Ronaldo

2014

Atletico Madrid stunned the big two by pipping Barcelina to La Liga, silencing Camp Nou on the final day. Messi suffered further heartbreak as Argentina lost 1-0 to Germany in the final of the 2014 World Cup, where he was named player of the tournament. Ronaldo and Portugal did not get out of the group stage in Brazil but a handsome trophy haul with Madrid, including their long-awaited 10th Champions League triumph, meant it was a year to remember.

SN YEAR-BY-YEAR SCORECARD: Messi 4-6 Ronaldo

2015

In terms of goals and minutes per goal, Ronaldo has the edge in this calendar year. But Messi was also sensational as part of Luis Enrique's iconic forward line with Luis Suarez and Neymar at Barcelona, sweeping to a treble. Penalty shootout woe against Chile for Argentina in the Copa America final was the only blot.

SN YEAR-BY-YEAR SCORECARD: Messi 5-6 Ronaldo

2016

Imagine scoring 59 goals and laying on 31 assists in 62 appearances and not being universally celebrated as the best player in the world. Messi also won La Liga and the Copa del Rey ahead of Ronaldo and Madrid, who duly won the Champions League. Ronaldo became the first of the pair to win a major international honour as Portugal claimed a gutsy Euro 2016 triumph. Messi erred from the spot as Chile once again prevailed on penalties in the Copa America Centenario final. That prompted an emotional and short-lived international retirement.

SN YEAR-BY-YEAR SCORECARD: Messi 5-7 Ronaldo

2017

The level of parity in excellence continued to be outstanding. Messi with 54 goals to Ronaldo's 53 and 79 minutes per goal contribution to the Portuguese's 80. But Zinedine Zidane's Madrid finished 2016/17 as champions of Spain and Europe.

SN YEAR-BY-YEAR SCORECARD: Messi 5-8 Ronaldo

2018

Another year of near level-pegging in terms of goals, although Messi's assist stats ticked his minutes per goal involvement average to under one hour. Ridiculous stuff that helped Barcelona sweep the board in Spain. Madrid won a third straight Champions League, but Gareth Bale was their final hero, and Ronaldo bade farewell soon after to join Juventus. Both men exited the World Cup at the Round of 16. Luka Modric, Ronaldo's Madrid team-mate and a beaten finalist with Croatia at Russia 2018, ended their Ballon d'Or duopoly.

SN YEAR-BY-YEAR SCORECARD: Messi 6-8 Ronaldo

2019

Ronaldo lifted silverware with Portugal on home soil in the inaugural Nations League in his first full year out of direct competition with Messi, who was majestic as Barca remained top dogs in Spain. Liverpool completed a comeback for the ages to knock Ernesto Valverde's men out of the Champions League, and Virgil van Dijk split Messi and Ronaldo in a tightly contested Ballon d'Or.

SN YEAR-BY-YEAR SCORECARD: Messi 7-8 Ronaldo

2020

There was no Ballon d'Or awarded in this pandemic-interrupted year, Robert Lewandowski probably would have won it anyway, and his Bayern Munich demolished a forlorn Barcelona during the Champions League finals tournament, after which Messi tried to engineer a Barcelona exit. It was beginning to feel like the end of their elite era, although Ronaldo quite comfortably had the statistically superior year.

SN YEAR-BY-YEAR SCORECARD: Messi 7-9 Ronaldo

2021

Finally, Messi was able to call himself a winner in Argentina colours as La Albiceleste battled to victory at the Copa America, a success that sparked a thrilling late-career run in international colours. Ronaldo left Juventus and rejoined Manchester United, plundering goals in the opening weeks of his Old Trafford return as if he'd never been away. Messi also moved clubs, tearfully leaving a financially compromised Barcelona to join Paris Saint-Germain.

SN YEAR-BY-YEAR SCORECARD: Messi 8-9 Ronaldo

2022

It was an underwhelming year for both men at club level, with Messi winning Ligue 1 at PSG but contributing just six goals to that particular cause. Ronaldo's second act at United turned sour and he did not see eye-to-eye with new boss Erik ten Hag, leading to a departure during the mid-season 2022 World Cup. That was, of course, the point at which Messi scaled the mountain with Argentina, scoring seven goals and being named player of the tournament.

SN YEAR-BY-YEAR SCORECARD: Messi 9-9 Ronaldo

2023

The Ballon d'Or changing its assessment period from the calendar year to the most recently completed European season meant Messi's World Cup win pocketed the 2023 award. For our purposes, though, in a year when Messi memorably arrived at Inter Miami and went about winning the Leagues Cup, Ronaldo was far more prolific at Al Nassr, even if Saudi Pro League glory remained elusive.

SN YEAR-BY-YEAR SCORECARD: Messi 9-10 Ronaldo

2024

Ronaldo outscored Messi once again, but assists were no longer much of a part of his game. It was different for Leo, who averaged a goal contribution every 62 minutes for club and country.  Inter Miami topped MLS during the regular season, and he added a second Copa with Argentina.

SN YEAR-BY-YEAR SCORECARD: Messi 10-10 Ronaldo

2025

Both men remained prolific into middle age and Ronaldo won a second Nations League with Portugal. Messi remained that bit more productive, though, as Inter won the MLS Cup.

SN YEAR-BY-YEAR SCORECARD: Messi 11-10 Ronaldo

2026

We still have a chunk of the year to run but their efforts so far and the manner in which the World Cup has played out mean we can call it. Ronaldo struggled as Portugal did, managing three goals before they limped out against Spain in the last 16. Messi has eight goals and is now the World Cup's all-time leading goalscorer as he contests a third final of his incredible career. If he produces a match-winning performance against Spain in the final, there might even be a ninth Ballon d'Or on the way.

SN YEAR-BY-YEAR SCORECARD: Messi 12-10 Ronaldo