SP. Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo: El Clasico Stats Compared

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are two of the greatest football players of all time. There has been a longstanding debate about who is the better player, with Messi’s World Cup triumph in 2022 adding another twist to the “GOAT” argument. From 2009 to 2018, they clashed regularly while playing for Real Madrid and Barcelona in domestic matches in Spain, but also in Champions League knockout games.

El Clasico is one of the biggest matches in world football, and, during the 2010s, it was one of the most eagerly-anticipated rivalries, as Messi and Ronaldo battled it out for supremacy. With the Argentinian at Inter Miami and the Portuguese legend at Al Nassr, it is unlikely we will ever see them play each other again. So, let’s take a look at their statistical records in El Clasico matches to see if we can help settle the age-old debate.

Lionel Messi’s Record in El Clasico

Messi played in 45 El Clasico matches, with his first one coming in November 2005. The first time he scored against Los Blancos was in March 2007, when he scored a hat-trick in a 3-3 draw at the Camp Nou. Over the course of his 17-year career at Barcelona, he scored 26 goals and registered 14 assists in matches against Real Madrid. Just over 69% of these goals were in La Liga matches, while the others were in Supercopa and UEFA Champions League games. Notably, in eight Copa del Rey matches versus Real Madrid, Messi didn’t score a single goal, only winning a quarter of those head-to-head clashes.

Ronaldo joined the 15-time Champions League winners in the summer of 2009. In his first season in Spain, Messi won both games when facing the Portuguese forward, scoring in the away match at the Santiago Bernabeu. A year later was one of Messi’s best ever performances, with the Argentinian genius scoring a brilliant double against Ronaldo’s Real Madrid in the first leg of the 2011 Champions League semi-final. Barcelona went on to win the trophy this season, beating Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United in the final.

In the summer of 2018, Ronaldo left Real Madrid. Messi played seven games against Los Blancos after the Portuguese forward’s departure and didn’t register a goal or an assist in any of them. In this time, Barcelona only won two matches when facing their old rivals, with the Messi and Ronaldo rivalry now and well truly over. The Argentinian has only scored more goals against Athletic Bilbao, Valencia, Atletico Madrid, and Sevilla in his career to date, with his latest appearance versus Real Madrid in 2022 while he was playing for Paris Saint-Germain.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Record in El Clasico

Ronaldo’s El Clasico record is inferior to Messi’s, but he did play 15 games fewer after he joined Real in 2009. The 39-year-old had a win percentage of 26.7% in matches against Barcelona, though, significantly lower than the Argentinian’s 44.7%. In the games that Real Madrid did win, the Portuguese legend made a significant impact, including his towering header in the 2011 Copa del Rey final, which secured the trophy for his team. In fact, his personal record in this competition against Barcelona was impressive, as he scored five goals in five matches versus the Catalan club in Spain’s main domestic cup.

Ronaldo’s best run in El Clasico matches was in 2012, when he scored in six consecutive head-to-head matches – a feat that Messi was never able to repeat. In his eight-year career at Real Madrid, though, the 39-year-old didn’t score a hat trick, while Messi scored two. He did manage a couple of braces against Barcelona, including in October 2012, when both players scored twice in a 2-2 draw in La Liga.

In May 2018, Ronaldo played his last El Clasico match, scoring in a 2-2 draw. This was his first goal in four matches against Barcelona before he made the switch to Juventus. While he was only on the winning side eight times out of 30, Ronaldo did score a goal in El Clasico matches once every 141 minutes, which was a better minute per goal record than Messi, who managed a goal every 151.54 minutes in his 45 matches. The Portugal striker has only scored more goals against Sevilla and Atletico Madrid in his career to date.

Messi and Ronaldo Penalty Record in El Clasico and Career

Both players had 100% penalty records in El Clasico matches. Messi took six spot kicks and Ronaldo took four, and they both converted every time. Ironically, the Argentinian missed from the penalty spot in 2022 in a Champions League match between PSG and Real Madrid. Thibaut Courtois denied Messi, which was his first miss against Los Blancos in his career.

Ronaldo has a slightly better record from the penalty spot than Messi. He has taken 195 in his career, scoring 165, a percentage of 84.6%. The 37-year-old Argentinian has taken 140, scoring 109 at a rate of 77.9%. In penalty shootouts, the two legends have an identical record – scoring 11 out of 13. Messi missed a decisive spot kick in Argentina’s defeat to Chile in the 2016 Copa America final. Meanwhile, Ronaldo missed in the penalty shootout of the 2008 Champions League final against Chelsea while he was at United. His teammates spared his blushes, though, and Ferguson’s team went on to lift the trophy in Moscow. It is worth noting that the 39-year-old was on the pitch for four shootouts in his career but didn’t take a spot kick, as it was already decided before he was scheduled to take his penalty as the fourth or fifth taker.

Who Has Scored the Most Goals in El Clasico History

Messi’s 26 goals in El Clasico matches is the most of any player ever. Ronaldo is joint-second alongside Real Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stefano, who played for the Spanish giants from 1953 to 1964, winning the European Cup five times. Karim Benzema is two goals below Di Stefano and Ronaldo, while Raul, Cesar Rodrigues, Paco Gento, Ferenc Puskas, Santillana, and Luis Suarez make up the rest of the top 10.

With the Messi and Ronaldo era now over in El Clasico matches, supporters of the two clubs and across the world are waiting for the next player rivalry to emerge. Kylian Mbappe made the switch to Real Madrid this summer, while Lamine Yamal continues to impress for Barcelona at only 17 years old. Whether these two stars can add their names to the top 10 of El Clasico top scorers remains to be seen, but to reach the heights of Messi and Ronaldo would take a mammoth effort.

Information gathered from Transfermarkt – Correct as of 25/09/24.