Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo close in on all-time goal-scoring record

What's the story?

Barcelona ace Lionel Messi and Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo are on the brink of equaling a goal-scoring feat that is unrivaled in the history of the game. The record for the most domestic goals in football is held by Brazilian legend Pele, but that seems to be in danger, with Messi and Ronaldo closing in rapidly.

In case you didn't know...

Messi and Ronaldo have established themselves as legends of the game, having scaled heights even the likes of Pele and Diego Maradona failed to reach.

Their statistics this season alone prove why the five-time Ballon d'Or winners are such a big deal. Messi boasts of a staggering 45 goals and 21 assists in 42 appearances for Barcelona so far. Meanwhile, Ronaldo has 19 Serie A goals and 6 Champions League goals to his credit.

While the two continue to set new records and match each other stride for stride on a personal note, their impact on their respective sides this season has been been quite contrasting.

While Messi helped Barcelona defeat Manchester United and progress to the semi-final stage of the Champions League, Ronaldo's Juventus could not get the better of Ajax and crashed out of the competition earlier this week.

The heart of the matter

Messi's career goal tally stands at 597, just short of the 600 goal mark. Ronaldo also has the same number of goals to his name but has achieved them in 796 games, while his Argentine rival has done so in only 679 games.

The talismanic duo is now only 53 goals away from equalling Pele's record for most domestic goals in the history of the game, with the Brazilian icon boasting of an incredible 650 goals in 697 league games.

What's next?

Barcelona, who are at the top of La Liga and have all but sealed the title, will face Liverpool in the semi-finals of the Champions League. Prior to that, they will go head-to-head with Real Sociedad in the league on Saturday night and Messi will fancy his chances of adding significantly to his goal-tally.

Juventus, who are at the summit of the Serie A, will clash with Fiorentina tomorrow.