The rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo defined an era, but both players will be nearing the end of their careers by 2023.

After leading Argentina to a World Cup victory in Qatar and being voted the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, many people concluded in the closing weeks of 2022 that Messi was unquestionably the greatest player of all time. Ronaldo was released from his contract with Manchester United after being demoted from Portugal’s starting XI, which led to a lucrative move to the Saudi Pro League.

Watching these two legends wind down their careers this year has been fascinating.

Since returning from the World Cup break in the middle of the season, PSG’s performance has declined significantly. They lost some surprising games in Ligue 1, were knocked out of the Champions championship and Coupe de France, but yet managed to win the championship.

It appears like Messi is enjoying his new life in the United States after admitting that he was unhappy in Paris. The 36-year-old Argentinian has gotten off to a fantastic start with MLS team Inter Miami, scoring or assisting in practically every game he’s played in while helping the club to victories in nearly all of them. He has already won a trophy, the Leagues Cup, thanks to his great performance.

It’s been simple because of the city and the club,”

It’s a magnificent place, and that’s why I can live with happiness: “The fans, the people that I meet every day on the streets in the city where we are now.”

His perpetual antagonist likewise appears to be enjoying himself professionally in a new setting.

Soon after signing with Al Nassr in January, Ronaldo said, “I think you should look at the (Saudi Pro League) in a different way,” in March.

To call it a Premier League would be a complete fabrication on my part. Nonetheless, the league’s level of competition has pleasantly pleased me. In a few years, I have no doubt that this league will be among the top six most competitive in the world.

The attacker who previously played for Manchester United and Real Madrid has been on fire since joining Al Nassr, but the team was unable to bring home any hardware in his first season. They were eliminated from the King Cup by Al-Wehda and finished second in the league, behind Al Ittihad and Nuno Espirito Santo.

The summer’s flurry of superstar arrivals has Al Nassr looking competitive in the Saudi Pro League and they were just crowned Arab Club Champions Cup champions.

In 2023 though, how do Messi and Ronaldo stack up statistically? We have analyzed their statistics for both club and nation to see how they compare to one another.

Lionel Messi

Games: 38

Minutes played: 3270

Goals: 26

Assists: 12

Penalties scored: 0

Hat-tricks: 1

Free-kicks scored: 5

Minutes per goal: 125.8

Minutes per non-penalty goal: 125.8

Minutes per goal or assist: 86.1

Cristiano Ronaldo

Games: 38

Minutes played: 3332

Goals: 34

Assists: 7

Penalties scored: 9

Hat-tricks: 3

Free-kicks scored: 2

Minutes per goal: 98.0

Minutes per non-penalty goal: 133.2

Minutes per goal or assist: 81.3