became the to score 700 club goals after netting the winner against at Goodson Park on Sunday.
The Portuguese sensation’s 700th strike marks another chapter in the rivalry between himself and .
Ronaldo and Messi are regarded as two of the greatest players to ever grace the game, with a fierce debating raging in football for years as to which of the pair deserves the top spot.
So, how many club goals does Messi actually have and how does his tally compare to his great rival Ronaldo? Read on to crunch the numbers.
How many club goals has Lionel Messi scored?
Lionel Messi has scored 691 goals in his senior club career, meaning he is currently just short of the historic 700 milestone and only 9 behind Ronaldo.
The Argentine scored the bulk of his goals at whilst playing for the Spanish giants between 2003 and 2021.
Messi’s is the most goals scored for a single club by a player in football history.
Messi has added to goal record since arriving at French champions despite a largely underwhelming first season with the Parisians.
While Ronaldo has currently scored more club goals than Messi, the Portuguese has also played two more seasons of senior football than his South American counterpart.
Across their seasons in senior football, Messi actually averages more club goals a season (37.9) than Ronaldo (35).
Messi’s highest tally in a single season is the 73 goals he hit in the 2011-12 season, whilst Ronaldo’s best effort saw him score 61 in 2014-15.
Who has scored the most club and country goals of all time?
Ronaldo also holds the edge over Messi when it comes to international football, scoring 117 goals for Portugal compared to Messi’s 90 for Argentina.
This means that Ronaldo has scored 817 in 1,129 games goals for club and country in his senior career, with Messi not far behind on 781 having played 989 matches.
Ronaldo is the all-time top goalscorer in the history of football, ahead of Czech legend Josef Bican in second place with 805 goals with Messi in third.
Ronaldo made his debut for Portugal in 2003, while Messi started his international career two years later in 2005.
The United forward averages 0.61 goals per game for the national team compared to Messi at 0.55.
Ronaldo became the highest goalscorer in international football after surpassing Ali Daei’s 109 goals with two strikes against the Republic of Ireland in 2021.
Ronaldo has won Euro 2016 and the 2019 Nations League with Portugal, while Messi’s long and often painful wait for a major trophy with his country was ended last year when Argentina won the Copa America in Brazil.
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