Their competition will go down adenine one of the greatest in history with the couple sharing 12 of the concluding 13 Ballon d ’ Ors a well as a host of early trophies .
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Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have both had highs and lows in 2021
yet 2021 has proved an up and down year for them both, as Messi finally left Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain in a move that has yet to in full pay off .
He has suffered a slow begin to liveliness in France but he did win a one-sixth Ballon vitamin d ’ Or and ultimately secure a title with his beloved Argentina .
As for Ronaldo, he alone managed to win one trophy, the Coppa Italia victory with Juventus, and saw Portugal fail to defend their Euro crown .
But he did seal a come back to his beloved Manchester United where he has already hit the footing running despite the baseball club ’ second late struggles .
so has their respective transfers seen them thrive or has old age finally caught up with them ?
talkSPORT.com takes a look at how Messi and Ronaldo ’ south 2021 compared to each other and their former hauls from year ’ mho gone by…
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Ronaldo has still proved one of the fittest footballers around
Matches
Messi played 59 games for club and country, which is 11 more than the Argentine managed on external duty and for Barcelona in 2020 .
Ronaldo, meanwhile, made three more with 62 appearances – which is more than he has made in 12 months since 2012 !
separate of the duet ’ s heavier workload can be attributed to international tournaments this summer with Messi captaining Argentina to Copa America glory .
Ronaldo besides skippered Portugal at Euro 2020 but couldn ’ metric ton aid his country defend their title as they crashed out in the orotund of 16 .
Messi matches in a calendar year
2004 : 7
2005 : 21
2006 : 33
2007 : 55
2008 : 48
2009 : 64
2010 : 64
2011 : 70
2012 : 69
2013 : 47
2014 : 66
2015 : 61
2016 : 62
2017 : 64
2018 : 54
2019 : 58
2020 : 48
2021 : 59
Ronaldo matches in a calendar year
2002 : 16
2003 : 36
2004 : 60
2005 : 64
2006 : 60
2007 : 60
2008 : 58
2009 : 49
2010 : 59
2011 : 60
2012 : 71
2013 : 59
2014 : 60
2015 : 57
2016 : 57
2017 : 60
2018 : 53
2019 : 50
2020 : 45
Read more: FIFA 21 Pro Clubs
2021 : 62
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Messi is finally beginning to settle in Paris after a slow start
Goals
Messi has managed just one Ligue 1 goal since joining PSG so far his reckoning for 2021 is even 16 more than his entire catch last class .
however, coronavirus-affected 2020 aside, the six-time Ballon five hundred ’ Or achiever has not scored less than 50 goals in a calendar year since 2013 .
As for Ronaldo, the United ace has upped his goals for the death two years after reinventing himself as a pure absolute goalscorer .
CR7 has proved particularity baneful for Portugal this year, having bagged 13 goals in 14 games for his country at a rate of every 92 minutes .
Messi club goals in a calendar year
2004 : 0
2005 : 3
2006 : 12
2007 : 31
2008 : 22
2009 : 41
2010 : 60
2011 : 59
2012 : 91
2013 : 45
2014 : 58
2015 : 52
2016 : 59
2017 : 51
2018 : 51
2019 : 50
2020 : 27
2021 : 43
Ronaldo goals in a calendar year
2002 : 5
2003 : 1
2004 : 13
2005 : 15
2006 : 25
2007 : 34
2008 : 35
2009 : 30
2010 : 48
2011 : 60
2012 : 63
2013 : 60
2014 : 61
2015 : 57
2016 : 55
2017 : 53
2018 : 49
2019 : 39
2020 : 44
2021 : 47
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Ronaldo and Messi are unquestionably two of the greatest players football has seen
Assists
Messi ’ mho supporters have pointed to the total of chances he creates in addition to his own goalscoring as tell of his supreme skill.
Read more: Cha Bum-kun – Wikipedia
And the Argentina international has proved his consistency over the past three years with 18 assists in 2021 and 2019 and 19 last year .
Ronaldo, however, is much more geared towards scoring goals, with the Portuguese only managing six assists over the past 12 months .
That is one less than his total in 2020 and a far cry from the 20 he provided during his Ballon vitamin d ’ Or acquire 2014 at Real Madrid .