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Not many are aware, but there is a separate Wikipedia page dedicated to the Cristiano Ronaldo-Lionel Messi rivalry. Now who are we kidding, it's 2021 and no one takes Wikipedia's references seriously anymore.
However, a separate page dedicated to the abstract concept of a 'rivarly' on one of the first links that pops up on Google? That speaks volumes about the significance of those two gentlemen in the game.
What Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have achieved over the last 10-12 years is no mean feat. Their exploits have added to their 'greatness quotient' which is skyrocketing at the moment.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have both showcased exemplary longetivity
The duo have lit up the grand stage in Europe with their glorious performances and their supremacy in the Ballon d'Or is a testament to that. Lionel Messi recently received his seventh Ballon d'Or on the back of his maiden Copa America triumph in 2021.
Cristiano Ronaldo is now trailing by two Ballon d'Or honors with his tally at five. The two have taken care of the entertainment quota whenever they have stepped on the field.
They are buoyed by each other's presence and fueled by the ambition to lay claim to the 'Greatest of All Time' label. The world stops and takes notice of their clash. There were days when one couldn't take their eyes off Cristiano Ronaldo, whereas on other occasions, Lionel Messi ran the show.
But there were times when one wasn't ready to see the other outperform and both got on the scoresheet in the same game! Here's presenting to you the five games in which both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo got on the scoresheet.
#5 La Liga, 2011: They have both done it!
Pep Guardiola's penultimate season in-charge of Barcelona coincided with Jose Mourinho's first season as Real Madrid boss. The Pep vs Jose equation was going to spice things up a lot and no one was complaining.
It was April 16, 2011 and Barcelona were visiting the Santiago Bernabeu for the second El Clasico of La Liga 2010-11 season. What happened in the first one, you ask? Barcelona registered a thumping win over Real at Camp Nou as the scoreline read 5-0.
Cristiano Ronaldo had already been on the embarrassing end once. Although Lionel Messi did not get on the scoresheet in that victory at Camp Nou, it did not change the fact that Real were horrendous. So at all costs, Cristiano Ronaldo and co. had to redeem themselves and try to close the gap with the table toppers.
Both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were the brightest sparks for their sides in the match at the Bernabeu. Iker Casillas denied the Argentine maestro with a brilliant save at one end. Meanwhile, the Portuguese striker saw his header cleared off the line by Adriano.
Raul Albiol gave away a penalty in the second half but was unfairly red carded on a night when the referee clearly got a lot of calls wrong. Up stepped Lionel Messi and put Barcelona 1 up on enemy territory. It was his second goal in El Clasico since the Portuguese arrived in Spain. But Cristiano Ronaldo knew how to reply.
Dani Alves brought down Marcelo in the penalty box and now the hosts had a penalty of their own. Four El Clasico games played, no goals scored yet by CR7. This was his moment. From the spot kick, he hammered an unsavable penalty into the top right corner. He opened his account in the biggest bilateral football contest.
The game ended 1-1 and with that the hopes of snatching the La Liga title too ended for the Madrid side. That was the tale of the first official game in which the two behemoths scored.
#4 Supercopa de España - 2011: Mayhem at Camp Nou!
2011 was a truly exciting year for football fans all around the globe and especially the ones in Spain. It was the calendar year when Real Madrid and Barcelona collided seven times, yes you read that right, seven. This was their sixth meeting, the second leg of the Supercopa de España.
What unfolded is fondly remembered as one of the most frantic, maddening and volatile games of the last decade. It was all squared after the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu with two goals apiece. Lionel Messi had already left his mark on the first leg with a goal and the ball was in Cristiano Ronaldo's court now.
The Catalans took the lead on home turf at the 15th minute mark. Andres Iniesta scored the opener after being played through by Lionel Messi. Five minutes later Real Madrid equalized as Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first goal at Camp Nou.
The Portuguese goal machine scored one of the most uncertain goals of his career. A touch that was deft but also mistakenly applied. Cristiano Ronaldo's face told the story and he wasn't even sure if he could claim it. But it did count in his tally.
Lionel Messi then held the game by the scruff of its neck. Barcelona took the lead just before half-time. It was a corner that wasn't defended convincingly by the Madrid players and the Barcelona star capitalized on their mistake.
Soon the Catalans themselves showcased an example of untidy defending in the 81st minute and reacted slowly to the corner. But Karim Benzema was kind enough to show urgency and put Los Blancos level at 2-2. Finally, the chance came to seal the game as Cesc Fabegas put in a low cross from the right.
Lionel Messi pounced on the incoming delivery inside the box. The little man was in the air as he struck the volley in the sweetest manner to help Barcelona to their 10th Supercopa de España. The game ended with three players red carded and eight booked for yellow card offenses.
Luckily both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi did not end up in the referees book.
#3 Supercopa de España - 2012: Cristiano Ronaldo loves scoring in El Clasico
It would not be a surprise if Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi fans told you that Supercopa de Espana was their most eventful watch of the year. The tournament has often seen two behemoths get on the scoresheet. Both Real Madrid and Barcelona take the tie spread over two legs very seriously and entertainment is guaranteed.
It was the second time in a row that the Supercopa de Espana was an El Clasico clash after the 2011 edition was narrowly bagged by Barcelona. The early signs were not the most motivating for Los Blancos. They were greeted with last year's 3-2 scoreline again at the Camp Nou leg.
Cristiano Ronaldo broke the deadlock at the 55 minute mark with his second goal at Barcelona's home. It was a sight Madrid fans had become a bit used to now. Mesut Ozil, with an inswinger from the left corner, Cristiano Ronaldo ran and with his leap connected in the most meticulous manner.
A minute later, it was back to level pegging as Pedro scored straight from the kick-off in the 56th minute. The Catalans grew more into the game and Lionel Messi was offered his opportunity to get on the scoresheet. A clumpsy challenge by Sergio Ramos, in his own characteristic way, resulted in the referee awarding a penalty.
Up stepped the little master from the spot and deposited the ball in the bottom right corner. Barcelona 2, Real Madrid 1. Cristiano Ronaldo 1, Lionel Messi 1. By the way, just an interesting piece of trivia. In six El Clasico matches that were contested in 2012, Cristiano Ronaldo scored at least one goal in each of those. Lionel Messi, on the other hand, managed to get on the scoresheet in three.
#2 La Liga - 2014: Lionel Messi runs riot with a hat-trick
This El Clasico on 23rd March 2014 was the second highest scoring contest between the Spanish giants in 20th century. It had seven goals, a late match-winning penalty and the Spanish king of red cards was crowned in this particular game. Let's dive in.
Real Madrid were the table toppers in La Liga at the time with a four-point lead. Barcelona had to secure all three points to ensure they stayed a part of the trilateral title race that had Atletico Madrid contesting in it as well. The game started brightly as Andres Iniesta scored the opener. But in a quick-fire reply Karim Benzema's brace saw Real Madrid lead.
The stage was set for Lionel Messi to leave his mark on the game and he was apparently just getting started. A couple of minutes before half-time, the Argentine tried to set up Neymar. He scruffed his line and the ball rebounded off a Madrid player. Lionel Messi arrived quickly in the box to apply the finishing touch.
The scoreline read 2-2 and a street fight almost began in the Madrid penalty box, but thankfully no punches were thrown. Soon in the second half, Barcelona were chasing the game again. Dani Alves tripped Cristiano Ronaldo who was moving at a furious pace exactly on the line of the penalty box.
It was a hard call for the referee to make in real time and unfortunately he made the wrong one by pointing to the spot. However, Cristiano Ronaldo does not make wrong calls when he is on penalty duty and the inevitable occurred. The Portuguese hammered one into the bottom left-corner,
Enough, said Lionel Messi, and took the limelight from his greatest rival. Sergio Ramos denied Neymar a clear goal-scoring opportunity and was sent-off by the referee. This was his 19th red card in La Liga, a dark record to set on a glamorous night. "Anything Cristiano Ronaldo can do, I can do better," said the Argentine and converted the penalty without breaking a sweat.
But Lionel Messi wasn't done there, after all Barcelona were still tied at 3-3. Iniesta was at it again, giving an absolute nightmare to the 10-men in white. He was sandwiched between Xabi Alonso and Dani Carvajal while dribbling in the penalty box. Another penalty given, another penalty taken and another penalty scored by Lionel Messi.
Cristiano Ronaldo could only watch his nemesis take home the match ball.
#1 La Liga - 2018: Goodbye, friend!
Little did we know that this would be the final meeting between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in their respective Spanish outfits. This has also been the final meeting in which both the gentlemen got on the scoresheet. Barcelona were looking to finish an ideal top-flight season having not lost a single game.
Their rivals Real Madrid were trailing them by a fair margin and needed to pick up maximum points from whatever fixtures were left. The league, in general opinion, was Barcelona's and this clash was of little consequence. To La Liga that is, not to the ego of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
The Catalans were the livelier of the two sides and were rightly rewarded for the urgency they showed in the 11th minute. Luis Suarez gave them the lead with a classy side-footed volley. Just minutes later, Los Blancos troubled the scorekeepers as Cristiano Ronaldo was in the right place at the right time.
However, that finishing touch was applied at the cost of a muscle strain. In his last El Clasico, Cristiano Ronaldo only stayed on the pitch for 45 minutes. The drama grew in the game as Sergi Roberto was red-carded before the break and the Catalans played the rest of the game with 10-men.
After the first half, there was no CR7 to provide entertainment and in his absence, Lionel Messi took charge of the matters. A neat finish and the home side were back in the lead. The Argentine knew there was a foul in the build-up which the referee failed to notice. Lionel Messi even admitted the same in the post-match interview.
But we couldn't care less. In what was going to be the last El Clasico to feature Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, they had both graced the scoresheet. But no one was aware at that point of the Portuguese's intent to leave Real Madrid when the season ends. So who's goodbye was it exactly?
This El Clasico was also made memorable by Andres Iniesta, who featured in his last. The Spanish maestro was substituted near the hour-mark and received a rapturous reception at Camp Nou.
