Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo - season by season comparison of their goal scoring records

2. 2015-16

Barcelona retained La Liga by the smallest of margins (1 point!), but could nothing about Real Madrid winning their 11^th Champions League crown (once again beating Atletico Madrid in the final) as honours were shared between the two giants. Messi’s goal-scoring dipped once again as Barcelona turned to the ever-reliable services of Luis Suarez to mark their collective goal-scoring superiority over Madrid (112 vs 110 league goals)

Messi’s dip was not duplicated by his rival who went to notch up yet another 50 goal season and sweep up every imaginable honour. It was indeed the year of Ronaldo, as alongside helping his club side to the summit of Europe, he guided his nation to the same place as he captained Portugal to a historic Euros win, their first ever major international trophy. The Argentine meanwhile suffered heartbreak for the thrid year in a row as Argentina lost out to Chile in the Copa America Centanario final (to add to 2015’s Copa America final loss to the same opponents and 2014’s World Cup final loss to Germany)

Pichichi Award winner – Luis Suarez (40 – the first person to break the Ronaldo-Messi hegemony in six years!)

Champions League Golden Boot – Cristiano Ronaldo (16)

FIFA BEST winner (2016) – Cristiano Ronaldo

Ballon d’Or winner (2016) – Cristiano Ronaldo

GOAL TALLY

Lionel Messi: 41 in 49

Cristiano Ronaldo: 51 in 48