Ronaldo is about to have his first match at EURO 2024, an international tournament that could be his last in his career. Similarly, Messi is about to step onto the Copa America 2024 stage, where he aims to win the championship.
Messi and Ronaldo are preparing to enter the last major tournament of their careers. Photo: The Athletic
By the time of his debut at EURO 2024, Ronaldo had played 207 matches for the Portuguese team in official tournaments and had 130 goals. Meanwhile, Messi’s number is 108 goals in 182 matches. This is the highest number of goals and second in the list of strikers scoring the most goals for the national team in history.
List of players scoring the most goals for the national team up to now
Ronaldo’s career in the national team began in 2003, Messi’s in 2005. When CR7 first played for Portugal, the two current members of the “European Selecao” attending EURO 2024 were Antonio Silva and Joao Neves wasn’t even born yet.
The ratio of goals per match for Ronaldo and Messi’s teams is quite similar (0.63 and 0.59). If Messi starts earlier or finishes later than his colleague, maybe he can balance this index.
Messi and Ronaldo are symbols of perseverance. Together, they have played 31,462 minutes for the national team (nearly 22 consecutive days). To achieve that, in addition to extraordinary will, both M10 and CR7 also show maximum professionalism.
Number of times scoring against opponents in Messi and Ronaldo’s team colors. Photo: The Athletic
To achieve such terrible scoring achievements, Ronaldo and Messi need great help from their teammates. Over the past 21 years, CR7 has played with 139 teammates. Messi’s number from 2005 to present is 168 even though he played 25 fewer matches than his colleague.
The player Ronaldo played with the most for Portugal is Joao Moutinho (111 matches). For Messi, it is Javier Mascherano (111 matches). Messi has played 109 matches with Angel Di Maria, meaning Mascherano’s record could be overtaken in the summer at the 2024 Copa America.
List of names, accompanied by the number of times teammates on the national team assisted Messi and Ronaldo. Photo: The Athletic
Ronaldo has 14 goals at EURO (the most) and Messi has 13 goals at the World Cup, behind Miroslav Klose of Germany (16 goals), Ronaldo of Brazil (15) and Gerd Muller of West Germany (14). .
Messi played 3 more international friendly matches than Ronaldo (57 compared to 54), but El Pulga scored 29 more goals in these type of matches than CR7. Part of the reason comes from M10’s hat-tricks. Messi has so far had 9 hat-tricks in the national team shirt, 6 of which came from friendly matches. Meanwhile, Ronaldo has never scored 3 or more goals in a friendly match.
EURO 2024 is the 11th major tournament Ronaldo has participated in, this number is Messi’s with Copa America 2024 and 12. CR7 has scored in the previous 10 conferences and Messi has scored 9/11 times. The most goals Ronaldo scored at a major tournament is EURO 2020 (5 goals), helping him win top scorer. CR7 was also once the best scorer at EURO in 2012 (3 goals).
Messi and Ronaldo’s scoring achievements at major tournaments
In terms of scoring style, Ronald is more versatile than Messi. While CR7 can score regularly with his left foot, right foot and head, Messi often only uses his left foot to turn it into a unique move.
Number of goals and how to score goals in the national team colors of Ronaldo and Messi. Photo: The Athletic
Ronaldo has slightly fewer goals within 5m50 and outside the penalty area than Messi. However, he excels at shooting inside the penalty area. Photo: The Athletic
In the national team, Ronaldo and Messi rarely score when the match goes to extra time. The proof is that Messi has only done this once, in the 2022 World Cup final. The pair usually score the most goals around minutes 46 – 60 (beginning of the second half).
Statistics on scoring minutes and goals of Messi and Ronaldo. Photo: The Athletic
Finally, there is the scoring location. Ronaldo is in Europe so most goals will be scored at EURO, friendlies or Nations League. Meanwhile, Messi focuses more on South America. The last time they met at a major tournament (blue and red dots next to each other) was the World Cup.
Places where Messi (blue dot) and Ronaldo (red dot) have scored during their national careers. Photo: The Atheltic
