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Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s long-running rivalry is now in its closing phase, with Messi currently turning out in Major League Soccer and Ronaldo pursuing his 1,000th career goal in the Saudi Pro League. But which of the two modern greats has produced the stronger numbers in the current stage of their careers?

We have compared the last 100 appearances of both players for club and country, focusing on goals, assists and their overall attacking contribution.

Ronaldo’s most recent 100 matches stretch back to early September 2024. During that period, he went through another campaign without silverware with Al-Nassr, but he did finally secure the league title there last season, adding that to the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League triumph he claimed with Portugal.

That means the former Real Madrid and Manchester United star has won two trophies since turning 40.

Messi’s last 100 appearances date back to October 2024, when he was moving towards winning that season’s Supporters’ Shield with Inter Miami. The year after that, he lifted the MLS Cup, and he also came strikingly close to winning a second World Cup in North America during the summer.

So what do the numbers say?

There is very little to separate them purely on goalscoring. Messi has a slight edge, scoring 86 goals in his last 100 appearances — six more than Ronaldo has managed over the same number of matches.

There is, however, a significant gap when it comes to penalties. Ronaldo has scored four times as many spot-kicks over the past two years or so, while Messi is averaging a non-penalty goal every 36 minutes more often than his old rival.

The biggest contrast comes in assists, with Messi recording an impressive 48 in his last 100 matches — a huge difference compared to Ronaldo, who has registered only seven in the same period.

Ronaldo has refined his game into that of an out-and-out No. 9, a finisher fully focused on reaching the 1,000-goal mark, whereas Messi continues to be every bit as creative a presence as he was at his peak.

Here is how Messi and Ronaldo compare over their last 100 appearances: