Highlights

  • Messi and Ronaldo's careers have run parallel and they are considered two of the greatest players of all time, but the age difference between them makes direct comparisons challenging.
  • Ronaldo has an impressive goal record, with 762 goals from 1043 appearances by his 36th birthday, along with numerous personal accolades and five Champions League wins.
  • Messi, on the other hand, has more assists and goals than Ronaldo by the age of 36, with 807 goals, 356 assists, and eight Ballon d'Or trophies. He also has more team honors and a World Cup title.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been at the heart of debates for many years now, with fans all holding their own opinions on which player has been better over the course of their careers. It cannot be disputed at this point that both men are two of the greatest players of all time with what they have both achieved in the sport, and it has been a joy to watch their careers run side-by-side.

Even with that being said, everyone likes to present an argument as to why they think one player has a better legacy than the other. While footballing purists might roll their eyes at the constant comparisons between the two superstars, the simple fact of the matter is that we're merely making the most of truly unique circumstances.

Never before in the history of the men's game have two players of such intergalactic quality not only shared similar positions but also the same era in what has proven to be a titanic tussle. Yet, through all the never-ending comparisons and umpteen million attempts to settle the debate, there will always be one sticking point that makes putting the two players head-to-head that little bit harder: their age difference.

The age difference problem

Lionel Messi Cristiano Ronaldo

Whenever we compile lists assessing who has the most goals, assists, trophies and so on, there must always be the caveat that Ronaldo is two years older than Messi and boasts more career appearances. So, yes, Ronaldo tends to come out on top for the most part - for example as the top goalscorer of all time - but just how much can you read into that when Messi could feasibly play catch-up on his own timeline?

Sadly, things will never truly even out until both players call time on their professional careers, but the next best thing is to compare their statistics and records at identical age checkpoints. This is how GIVEMESPORT came to the conclusion that the only way to give a fair comparison is to use Messi's statistics upon turning 36, and go back two years for Ronaldo - when he was at Manchester United - at the same age.

In other words: who had the better stats when turning 36 years old? Well, to find out, we've called upon the data over at messivsronaldo.app and duly unearthed some fascinating answers, so be sure to check out our findings below:

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo

Ronaldo is usually thought of as the goalscorer of the pair with Messi being a more creative player, meaning many would assume the Portuguese star would have more goals even at the same age. While that remains to be seen, Ronaldo had bagged an incredible 762 goals from 1043 appearances by his 36th birthday. No matter how many goals his long-term rival had managed by the same age, this is still an almost unfathomable tally by one of the all-time great finishers the game has seen.

A brilliant haul of 56 hat-tricks were included in the extremely impressive goal record with the striker having racked up a nearly impossible-to-match number of trebles. It still comes as no surprise as it felt like Ronaldo found himself on the scoresheet at least three times per game during his Real Madrid days in particular.

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Even with some perhaps labelling Ronaldo as selfish, the forward had assisted teammates on 225 occasions when reaching 36 years old. The reason for gaining the reputation of being in it for himself comes from his clinical and no-nonsense approach in front of goal. He was representing Juventus at the time in 2021 with his birthday landing in February, months before his coveted return to Old Trafford after 12 years away.

In terms of silverware, it is safe to say that Ronaldo's trophy cabinet is rather sizable. His collection of personal accolades includes five Ballon d'Ors and four European Golden Shoe awards along with many other honours. A joint record of five Champions League winners' medals are also present within his massive list of team achievements. Ronaldo had won domestic leagues in England, Spain and Italy by the time he blew out his candles in celebration of turning 36.

Cristiano Ronaldo's Statistics at 36

Appearances

1,043

Minutes Played

84,683

Goals

762

Assists

225

Hat-tricks

56

Major Honours

32

Ballon d'Or Trophies

5

European Golden Shoe

4

So, we know how Ronaldo's career looked two years ago, but how does this compare to Messi's career when he turned 36 in June 2023?

Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami CF

Those with a hunch that Messi's creative numbers would be better than Ronaldo's are proven to be correct as the little magician registered more than 100 more assists than his Portuguese peer by the age of 36. This statistic would have been predictable in the eyes of the majority of football fans, but Messi's other numbers do cause more of a stir.

With Ronaldo's legacy of being the highest-scoring individual in the history of the sport, could that record be under threat over time? Messi's record of 807 goals by the age of 36 blows the Al Nassr striker's total out of the water by almost 50 at the same age. That is perhaps the one statistic that fans would have predicted to go in the Portugal international's favour.

Adding to this, Messi had 57 hat-tricks to his name before his birthday in June which was one more than Ronaldo had accumulated by the same stage of his career. These numbers are simply ludicrous, and the Argentine comes out on top once again, albeit narrowly on this occasion. The fact he managed to better his counterpart in 15 fewer appearances makes it all the more impressive too.

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The reading doesn't get any better for the Portuguese superstar either as Messi's 2023 Ballon d'Or success pushes him even further ahead of every other man to have won the prestigious individual award with an unfathomable total of eight. Ronaldo will be ruing the fact he is playing in the same generation as the Argentine because his haul of five is two more than any other player in history.

One area Ronaldo does take home the win is the number of Champions League titles each man has won, although he yet again falls short in overall team honours, with Messi forming part of the formidable Barcelona side that dominated La Liga for many years.

Lionel Messi's Statistics at 36

Appearances

1,028

Minutes Played

84,575

Goals

807

Assists

356

Hat-tricks

57

Major Honours

38

Ballon d'Or Trophies

8

European Golden Shoes

6

Messi well ahead of the game

Lionel Messi

To say that Messi is ahead of the game would be putting things mildly because Ronaldo's statistics were nowhere near as impressive when he was the same age as the Argentine star. The Barcelona legend has the upper hand in almost every metric with a superior amount of goals, assists, non-penalty goals, major honours, Ballon d'Or titles and European Golden Shoes compared to his rival.

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The only area in which Ronaldo takes the win is in goals for his country, which perhaps won't come as much of a surprise considering that he's the all-time record scorer in international football. Nevertheless, we must highlight that there's no guarantee Messi will play as well as Ronaldo did between his 36th and 38th birthdays, so there is still hope for the Manchester United icon in the quest to finish up with stronger numbers.

Well, that and the fact that he could simply play for longer than Messi ever does. However, for now, there's no denying that Messi is tracking for better career statistics than Ronaldo because he's passing through the 36-year mark with a much rosier set of numbers.

What next for Messi and Ronaldo?

Cristiano Ronaldo from Al Nassr FC

Shortly after turning 36, Messi left Europe following the expiry of his Paris Saint-Germain contract to join Inter Miami in the MLS. He has already won his first trophy with his new side as the club co-owned by David Beckham lifted their first ever trophy in the form of the Leagues Cup within Messi's first few months in America.

It does look like the Argentinian - who won the World Cup towards the end of 2022 - has several years left in him as a professional player, but is there any chance he will retire at the same age as Ronaldo? The question needs to be asked as the now 38-year-old is still going strong with Al Nassr in the emerging force of world football, the Saudi Pro League.

After turning 36, the forward had a return to Manchester United that lasted 18 months before a falling out with Erik ten Hag saw him leave the club and head to the Middle East. His sights are currently set on making it to the next World Cup in 2026, which would see Ronaldo playing into his 40s.

With Messi having the biggest international trophy in the world to his name - as well as every other accolade under the sun - it remains to be seen if he has the appetite to keep playing at the top level for as long as Ronaldo.