Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have enjoyed incredible careers both on the domestic and international stage.
With both men now in the autumn of their careers, it is remarkable that both are still competing in top European divisions and are regular starters. The similarities also continue with their form this year.
Ronaldo had a baron stretch at Manchester United at the beginning of the year, going six games without a goal. However his recent performances have been much improved even if United's season has continued to stutter.
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Messi meanwhile has faced his own struggles in the French capital. He has failed to dominate Ligue 1 like he was expected to and was even jeered by his own fans during their Champions League last 16 defeat to Real Madrid.
However, Messi has rediscovered his form of late, in a spell that included a sensational goal at the weekend to help his PSG side lift the title. But how do the two greats compare in 2022? Here is how it looks, as per stats from Planet Football:
Cristiano Ronaldo
- Games: 15
- Starts: 14
- Sub appearances: 1
- Goals: 8
- Assists: 0
- Penalties scored: 0
- Minutes per goal: 160.1
- Minutes per non-penalty goal: 160.1
- Minutes per goal or assist: 160.1
Lionel Messi
- Games: 14
- Starts: 13
- Sub appearances: 1
- Goals: 3
- Assists: 8
- Penalties scored: 0
- Minutes per goal: 399
- Minutes per non-penalty goal: 399
- Minutes per goal or assist: 108.8
From the statistics it would appear that Ronaldo has had a better 2022 than Messi, even though the latter has picked up a league winners' medal with PSG.
In a struggling United side, the Portugal international has outscored the Argentine. Messi does lead the way in assists but the Portuguese ace has marked his stamp on the game more often than the former Barcelona man.
