Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo: Who has scored the most goals in 2023 so far?
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored more goals than Lionel Messi in the 2023 calendar year so far. Both superstars, however, continue producing the goods for club and country despite being in their late 30s.
Ronaldo, 38, currently plays for Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr and has scored 21 goals in 26 matches across competitions for club and country. He has scored a goal every 106 minutes of playing.
Messi, 36, on the other hand, has scored 19 goals in 28 appearances for PSG, Argentina, and Inter Miami in 2023. He averages one goal every 129 minutes.
While the Portuguese legend has bagged two assists in 2023 so far, Messi has managed to amass eight assists to his name. The numbers go to show that despite their ripe age, Messi and Ronaldo are still two of the top performers in world football at the moment.
Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are among the greatest goalscorers in the history of football and they have been performing at the highest level for more than 15 years.
The numbers show the immense legacy the two superstars have created in world football and their current stats display the unreal longevity the two consensus GOATs possess.
When Lionel Messi said he and Cristiano Ronaldo are on the same level
Fans are often busy trying to establish whom between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi is better. The two superstars, however, have always had nothing but tremendous mutual respect for each other.
They have shared the status of being the best player in the world for more than 15 years. Messi once hailed the Portugal captain as a player who is on the same level as him. When asked to name the best players in the world back in 2019, he said (via Juve FC):
"There are so many good players now. Neymar, Kylian Mbappé, Luis Suarez, Eden Hazard, any of them could become the best in the world."
He further added:
"I didn’t include Cristiano Ronaldo in that list, because I consider him to be on the same level as me. It was fun to play against him, even if he made me suffer too. It irritated me seeing Real Madrid lift trophies."
Lionel Messi was a direct rival to Ronaldo when the Portuguese played for Real Madrid. Messi was a Barca player at that point in time. During their nine-year spell together in La Liga, the duo gave the fans many memorable moments over the years.