Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: Breaking down their career international goal records

The two best footballers of the 21st century — and arguably ever — are appearing in what could be their final international tournaments this summer.

Cristiano Ronaldo, 39, is captaining Portugal at Euro 2024 and Lionel Messi, who is 37 this month, will lead Argentina at Copa America in the United States.

Ronaldo, who has played in 31 per cent of the games in Portugal’s history, has scored 130 goals in 207 matches and Messi 108 in 182 in international careers that both began before the iPod Nano was released.

Ronaldo, who made his debut in 2003, was instrumental in his country’s first tournament triumph at Euro 2016 and Messi, whose maiden international cap came in 2005 — he was sent off two minutes after being introduced against Hungary — was by far Argentina’s best player when they won Copa America in 2021 and the World Cup the following year.

The Athletic breaks down the numbers behind the duo’s international careers which, by all objective measures, have been remarkable…

Ronaldo is the all-time top scorer in men’s international football and Messi is the joint-second highest, with the Argentinian likely to surpass Iran’s Ali Daei in the coming weeks.

It will be fitting, and unsurprising, if Ronaldo and Messi finish their careers as the two outright highest scorers in the history of men’s international football.

Daei’s total was revised down from 109 to 108 by FIFA in 2021 as a game against Ecuador in 2000, in which he scored, was ruled to have been unofficial.

Messi’s first goal came in his sixth appearance for Argentina and Ronaldo took eight games to find the net for Portugal.

Ronaldo’s first goal came against Greece in the opening game of Euro 2004 and 20 years on he is gearing up to play at his sixth European Championship. Two members of Portugal’s squad for Euro 2024 — Antonio Silva and Joao Neves — were born after he made his Portugal debut.

🗓 #OnThisDay in 2004:

⚽️ No. 1⃣ @selecaoportugal by @Cristiano! 🙌🎉#WednesdayMotivation | #EURO2004 | #EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/ZfYmFvoToS

— UEFA.com DE (@UEFAcom_de) June 12, 2019

Although Messi’s goals-per-game rate was — for a while — better than Ronaldo’s, the 36-year-old has never at any point scored more international goals — largely due to the fact his Argentina career started two years later. Ronaldo averages 0.63 goals per game for Portugal and Messi 0.59 for Argentina.

Here is a comparison of the international goalscoring rates of Ronaldo, Messi and four other all-time greats.

As you can see, Ronaldo and Messi are well clear of the others in terms of goals scored — yet they were the two slowest to reach 25 goals in terms of games played. Brazil’s Pele reached the 25-goal mark in 20 games, Alfredo Di Stefano (who played for Argentina and Spain) got there in 27, Netherlands’ Johan Cruyff in 34, Argentina’s Diego Maradona took 53 matches, Messi got there in 70 and Ronaldo 78.

The modern duo’s incredible longevity — between them they have played 31,462 minutes (almost 22 days) for their countries — helped by advances in fitness training and sports science is what sees them top of the pile.

Though it should be noted that they have increased their rate of scoring in recent years. For example, at the halfway point of his Portugal career, Ronaldo had scored 39 goals (104 games in). Now, after 207 matches, he has scored 130 times — meaning 91 of his goals have come in the second half of his international career.

Messi had scored 42 goals after 91 games for Argentina, and in the next 91 he has found the net 66 times.

Here is the breakdown of the duo’s international goals by calendar year, with Messi’s 18 in 2022 — when he guided Argentina to their third World Cup triumph — the most either player has scored in a year. Only 16 players in Argentina’s history have scored more for the country in their careers than Messi did in 2022.

Ronaldo’s four best years in terms of his goal return have all come after turning 30 and 78 of his 130 goals (60 per cent) have come since reaching that age. Only 10 countries in the world have an all-time top scorer who has scored more across their whole career than Ronaldo has in his 30s.

Cristiano Ronaldo has now scored more goals for Portugal after turning 30 than Pele scored for Brazil in his entire career (78 v 77).

— Will Jeanes (@will_jeanes) June 11, 2024

Messi has scored 50 of his 108 since turning 30 (46 per cent).

Ronaldo has scored against 47 national teams — more than there are countries in the whole of Europe — and Messi against 37 (more than there are countries in North and South America combined).

The Portuguese’s 11 goals against Luxembourg is the most either has scored against a single national side, with Bolivia the opponents that Messi has found the net against the most often (eight) for Argentina.

While these men have been the stand-out performers for their countries during their international careers, they have been supported by many other great players. Ronaldo has had 139 team-mates and Messi, despite playing 25 fewer games, 168.

The player Ronaldo has played alongside for Portugal the most often is Joao Moutinho (111 games) and for Messi it is Javier Mascherano (111). Messi has played alongside Angel Di Maria 109 times, meaning Mascherano may be usurped this summer.

Here is every Portugal player to provide an assist for Ronaldo…

And every one of Messi’s team-mates that has assisted him…

Some goals are more important than others, so let’s look at the competitions each has scored in and their records at major tournaments.

Ronaldo’s 14 goals at the Euros is a record — five more than France’s Michel Platini in second. His eight goals at the World Cup mean he has scored 22 times at major tournaments. If you only included those goals in his tally he would still be Portugal’s 10th-highest scorer of all time.

Messi’s 13 goals at the World Cup are only bettered by Germany’s Miroslav Klose (16), the Brazilian Ronaldo (15) and West Germany’s Gerd Muller (14). With the 2026 edition in North America now less than two years away, and with it mostly taking place in the country Messi plays his club football in, it remains possible that the Argentinian could add to his tally.

One difference that jumps out is Messi scoring 29 more goals in friendlies than Ronaldo. At first the logical assumption for the discrepancy would be the fact that Argentina do not have to qualify for their continental championship, so as a result Messi will play in more friendlies than Ronaldo — whose Portugal have to go through the preliminary stage to reach the European Championship.

However, Messi has only played three more friendlies than Ronaldo (57 to 54). It is just partly that six of his nine hat-tricks have come in friendly matches, whereas Ronaldo has never found the net three times in a non-competitive game for Portugal.

Now let’s look at how each player has performed at every major tournament they have played at. Euro 2024 will be Ronaldo’s 11th appearance at the World Cup or European Championship (he has scored at all of the previous 10) and Copa America will be Messi’s 12th time playing at a tournament (he has found the net at nine of the 11).

The most goals Ronaldo has scored at a tournament is five at Euro 2020 (played in 2021) — which made him the joint-top scorer aged 36. He was also the joint-top scorer at Euro 2012 with three goals.

Messi’s seven goals at the 2022 World Cup — where he became the first player to score in the groups, round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final of one edition of the tournament — is his best haul. Copa America in 2021 is the only tournament he has finished top scorer at (joint with Colombia’s Luis Diaz).

Their combined number of 107 appearances at tournaments is more than Franz Beckenbauer’s total number of games in all competitions for West Germany (103) and their combined goals total of 48 is more than all but four players have scored for England across all competitions. You can expect those figures to increase over the next few weeks.

Ronaldo has scored 10 hat-tricks for Portugal — with half of them coming after turning 33. One of those, against Spain in 2018, makes him the oldest player to score a hat-trick at the World Cup.

Messi, meanwhile, has scored nine hat-tricks for Argentina — with the most famous coming against Ecuador to secure qualification for the 2018 World Cup.

Here is the breakdown of the duo’s goals by body part. Ronaldo has scored 55 per cent of his goals with his stronger foot (right) whereas Messi has scored a remarkable 89 per cent of his international goals with his stronger left foot.

Yet despite this, three of Messi’s 13 goals at the World Cup (23 per cent) have been with his right foot — against Serbia and Montenegro in 2006, Nigeria in 2018 and France in extra time in the 2022 final.

Messi’s two headers came against Uruguay in a World Cup qualifier in 2008 and in a friendly against Bolivia in 2015.

It is a surprise, given that Ronaldo transformed from a skillful winger to a supreme penalty-box predator several years into his career, that six of his first 10 international goals were headers.

Overall, five of his 14 goals at the European Championship have been headers, and the most recent of those — in a tense game against Wales in the semi-finals of Euro 2016 — must be considered one of the best headers of all time when factoring in his movement, timing, jump and connection.

Ronaldo’s unstoppable header against Wales at Euro 2016 (Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Despite his lower overall tally, Messi has scored more international goals from outside the box.

The most famous of the Argentinian’s 25 strikes from outside the penalty area is the one against Mexico at the 2022 World Cup that re-ignited his country’s flagging campaign.

Messi scores against Mexico at the 2022 World Cup (Claudio Villa/Getty Images)

Here is the time of the match they have both scored in, with Messi only having scored more than Ronaldo in the 15 minutes before half-time (when breaking the game down into 15-minute sections).

The only goal either of them has scored in extra time is Messi’s against France in the 2022 World Cup final.

Both players have found the net the least often in the 46 to 60-minute section (of the regular 90 minutes).

And finally, here are the countries where the pair have scored their international goals.

No matter what happens at Euro 2024 and Copa America, these two generational players have secured their legacies as international greats.

Their longevity, ridiculous number of goals and galvanising effect on their team-mates have been, and continue to be, astonishing.

If this summer is to be the last international dance for either — or both — of these players then enjoy it, as it is highly improbable we will see anyone like them again.

(Additional contributors: Ryan Best, Drew Jordan)

(Photos: Getty Images/Design: John Bradford)