Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo: Who is having the better season?

When Cristiano Ronaldo left Spain for Italy in the summer, many thought that it was the end of the nail-biting Messi-Ronaldo rivalry that had lit up the football world in the last decade. While the Portuguese was in Spain, both Superstars vied for the same trophies and tried to get the better of each other in the fabled El Clasico. Now that Ronaldo was gone, it seemed that the rivalry would fade away into the depths of time. People did not expect the comparisons to make the news again, yet 6 months into the new season, little has changed in the world of football.

Every time Lionel Messi does something brilliant, people turn over to see what Ronaldo has to offer. Every time Ronaldo scores a goal, the comparisons are back. It seems that those two cannot be spoken of apart from each other and that is the beauty of their rivalry. Even though both are playing in the different league and different countries now, the comparisons are inevitable. Because both of them represent the crème de la crème in football right now and the debate of who among the two is better, divides families and unites nations.

As such, today we attempt to assess who has been better so far this season. When the competition is so severe, the margins are infinitely small, yet the statistics and results so far this season point out a very clear picture. Read on to find out who among Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo is having the better season so far, but feel free to draw the conclusions yourself.

All Stats are courtesy of Whoscored and Transfermarkt

#5 Shots on target

In the LaLiga, Lionel Messi has registered 82 shots so far, with 52 of them on target, both of which are the highest in the league. He has a shooting accuracy of 63% and is averaging 4.9 shots per game. In the Champions League, the stats are even higher, as the Argentinean is averaging 5.3 shots per game.

Even though Ronaldo has shifted to a new league in summer, his playing style has not been affected at all. The Portuguese has attempted 107 shots from 22 games in Serie A and 58 of those have been on target. He has a shooting accuracy of 54% and he is averaging 6.5 shots per game. In the Champions League, he has been relatively quiet so far but has still managed an average of 5.6 shots per game.

Advantage - Cristiano Ronaldo

#4 Trophies vying for

Cristiano Ronaldo has already lifted the Supercoppa Italiana, scoring the all-important goal to win his first Silverware with his new team. Juventus have crashed out of Coppa Italia in the quarterfinals, but are still in contention for the Serie A title, where they have a 9 point lead over Napoli in the second position. In the Champions League, Ronaldo will face familiar foes in Atletico Madrid in the Round of 16. As such, the Portuguese could finish the season with at least two trophies.

Messi won his first trophy as the skipper of Barcelona in August, when his team defeated Sevilla to lift the Supercopa de Espana. Barcelona are still in the hunt for three more trophies as of now. They have progressed to the Semi-Finals of the Copa Del Rey, where they face Real Madrid in the year's first El Clasico. In the Champions League Round of 16, the La Liga Giants have drawn French Powerhouse Lyon. And in La Liga, Barcelona are still 6 points clear at the top of the table.

Advantage - Tie

#3 Dribbles per game

Both Messi and Ronaldo are well known for their abilities to get past their markers using exquisite skills and ball control. Both have their own trademark style of dribbles; while Ronaldo has a flashy, larger than life nature to his dribbles, Messi makes use of his extraordinary ball control to dribble past the last man.

Since he moved to the Serie A, Ronaldo is averaging 1.3 dribbles per game in the league. In the Champions League, the ratio is a tad lower, as the Portuguese is averaging just 0.6 dribbles per game. However, Ronaldo is known to have a strong finish to his season and as such, those statistics could improve further by the end of the season.

Lionel Messi has always been the king of dribbles and this season is no different. The Argentinean is averaging 3.9 dribbles per game in La Liga, while in the Champions League, he averages 1.5 dribbles per game. He has shown no signs of stopping so far and with the business end of the season almost upon us, Messi is bound to get better.

Advantage - Lionel Messi

#2 Assists

FC Barcelona v Levante - Copa del Rey Round of 16

While his goal-scoring prowess has continued in his new life at Turin, Cristiano Ronaldo has added a new dimension to his game in Italy. Last season, the Portuguese managed only 8 assists in 44 games. This time, Ronaldo already has 9 assists from 30 games. In the Serie A, he has picked up 7 assists from 22 games, while he also has 2 more assists to his name in the Champions League, from 5 appearances.

Even though the Portuguese has been great in his new role, he is still a little behind his rival this season. Lionel Messi has registered 15 assists from 27 games so far this season. In La Liga, he has picked up 10 assists from 20 games, while in the Champions League, the Argentinean has 1 assist from 4 appearances. Messi also has 3 assists from 2 games in the Copa del Rey, with a further assist in the Supercopa.

Advantage - Lionel Messi

#1 Goals Scored

Ultimately, footballers nowadays are mostly judged by the number of goals they score. Even though goal scoring is one of the many aspects that make these two Superstars invincible, it is true that their goalscoring record has created the most excitement among fans and rivals in recent history.

Even in a new country, Cristiano Ronaldo's form in front of goal continues to be impressive. The Portuguese has scored 19 goals from 30 games in all competitions so far, which includes 17 goals from 22 games in Serie A, 1 goal from 5 games in the Champions League and 1 goal in the Supercoppa Italiana. He is currently averaging a goal every 112 minutes played in Serie A, which is a fantastic return.

While Lionel Messi is not an out and out striker, he is an extraordinary goal scorer too and this season, the Argentinean has been fascinating in front of goal. Messi has scored 29 goals from 27 appearances in all competitions so far. In the La Liga, he has scored 21 goals from 20 appearances, while in the Champions League, he has 6 goals from 4 games. He has also scored 2 goals from 2 games in the Copa del Rey. In La Liga, Messi has scored a goal every 77 minutes played!

Advantage - Lionel Messi

The results heavily favour Lionel Messi so far, however, with almost half of the season remaining, it will be exciting to see who finishes the season at the top.

Who would you rather have in your team this season? Let us know in the comments.

Edited by Vikshith R