Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo: Comparing PSG superstar and Al-Nassr striker's goal contributions in 2023

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have maintained solid goalscoring forms with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Al-Nassr respectively in 2023. With the 2022-23 campaign set to conclude soon, here we take a look at the goalscoring contributions from the two superstars in the calendar year thus far.

Ronaldo has a slight advantage in terms of goal contributions, for club and country, with a combined tally of 20 goals and assists. Messi is not far behind with 19 goal contributions.

Breaking down the stats further, Cristiano Ronaldo has outscored Lionel Messi 18-12 this year, though the PSG superstar comes out on top in terms of assists. He has set up seven goals for his teammates while the Al-Nassr striker has just two assists to his name.

Ronaldo is a clear winner in terms of goals at club level, finding the back of the net 14 times for Al-Nassr in 2023. Messi has scored eight goals for PSG this year. Interestingly all goals scored by the duo came in their respective leagues, as they blanked in their appearances in various cup competitions. Their teams also crashed out of these competitions.

Both players have featured in two games with their respective national teams in 2023. While both have scored four goals in these games, Lionel Messi has the edge in terms of goal contribution, having provided one assist for Argentina.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored four goals in the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers for Portugal while Messi's goals and one assist came in friendlies.

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Lionel Messi is close to winning Ligue 1 title with PSG while Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr might miss out on the league title narrowly

Lionel Messi won the Ligue 1 title in his first season with PSG last campaign. Les Parisien are very close to retaining their league title as they have a six-point lead over second-placed Lens with two games to go.

The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner struggled to find his feet in his debut season with the club but has found his flow this season. The 35-year-old has 15 goals in Ligue 1 and is set to finish as the league's top assist provider having 16 assists at the moment.

Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, joined Al-Nassr in January. While he has delivered several clutch performances in the Saudi Pro League, his team trails Al-Ittihad by three points with just two games to go. The 38-year-old might go trophyless this season but his instant impact at his new club has been extraordinary.

Both players have continued to perform at elite levels despite their ages and are likely to add a few goals before the 2022-23 season wraps up.