Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi GOAT debate continues with Man Utd star topping goals but PSG icon leading assists

THE debate around the greatest footballer of all time continues to rumble on. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have been at the top of the sport for the best part of 15 years – pushing one another to more incredible extremes. And they are still being compared to this day, with the pair’s stats compared […]

THE debate around the greatest footballer of all time continues to rumble on.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have been at the top of the sport for the best part of 15 years – pushing one another to more incredible extremes.

Reuters

Messi has struggled for goals since arriving at PSG but has managed 10 assists[/caption]

Reuters

Ronaldo has scored 18 times since returning to Man Utd but managed just three assists[/caption]

And they are still being compared to this day, with the pair’s stats compared to one another since they joined their new clubs.

Messi emotionally departed Barcelona in the summer and ended up joining Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain.

He has struggled to find the back of the net for the French side, scoring just seven times this term.

By contrast, Ronaldo made a sensational return to Manchester United in the summer as he came back to Old Trafford 12 years after leaving for Real Madrid.

And he has continued to find the back of the net with impressive regularity, netting 18 times in all competitions.

However, while Ronaldo’s goals speak for themselves, Messi still convincingly leads him when it comes to assists.

The Argentine has already hit double figures for assists this season, managing 10 for PSG.

Ronaldo has laid on far fewer goals for his team-mates, managing just three since heading back to the Theatre of Dreams.

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Ronaldo has played two more games than Messi – with the ex-Barcelona man missing several games through injury and Covid.

And the Portuguese legend also recently became Fifa’s all-time record goalscorer.

He overtook the tally of 805 set by Josef Bican, with the 59th hat-trick of his career against Tottenham taking him to 807 goals for club and country.

As a result, Ronaldo leads the way for goals across their entire careers – with his 807 eclipsing Messi’s 786.