Messi vs Ronaldo: career goals, year by year
Two decades of the greatest scoring rivalry in football, year by year.
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What the data shows
- Lionel Messi: 0 in 2002, 937 in 2026.
- Cristiano Ronaldo: 5 in 2002, 985 in 2026.
About this chart
Cristiano Ronaldo, two years older, started scoring first, at Sporting and Manchester United. Lionel Messi's peak at Barcelona closed the gap, including a record 91 goals in calendar year 2012. Both kept scoring well into their late thirties.
Goals are official club and international goals per calendar year. Tallies differ by a handful between sources depending on which friendlies and youth games count.
The data
Source: messivsronaldo.app calendar-year stats, official club and country goals, cumulative. Retrieved November 3, 2026. 2026 totals are to early November 2026. Career tallies differ by a handful of goals between sources depending on which friendlies and youth games count.
| Date | 🇦🇷 Lionel Messi | 🇵🇹 Cristiano Ronaldo |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 0 | 5 |
| 2003 | 0 | 6 |
| 2004 | 0 | 19 |
| 2005 | 3 | 34 |
| 2006 | 15 | 59 |
| 2007 | 46 | 93 |
| 2008 | 68 | 128 |
| 2009 | 109 | 158 |
| 2010 | 169 | 206 |
| 2011 | 228 | 266 |
| 2012 | 319 | 329 |
| 2013 | 364 | 398 |
| 2014 | 422 | 459 |
| 2015 | 474 | 516 |
| 2016 | 533 | 571 |
| 2017 | 587 | 624 |
| 2018 | 638 | 673 |
| 2019 | 688 | 712 |
| 2020 | 715 | 756 |
| 2021 | 758 | 803 |
| 2022 | 793 | 819 |
| 2023 | 821 | 873 |
| 2024 | 850 | 916 |
| 2025 | 896 | 957 |
| 2026 | 937 | 985 |
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Frequently asked questions
Who has scored more career goals, Messi or Ronaldo?
In 2026, Cristiano Ronaldo ranks #1 with 985, followed by Lionel Messi (937). Source: messivsronaldo.app calendar-year stats, official club and country goals, cumulative.
Where does this data come from?
messivsronaldo.app calendar-year stats, official club and country goals, cumulative. Retrieved November 3, 2026. 2026 totals are to early November 2026. Career tallies differ by a handful of goals between sources depending on which friendlies and youth games count. You can download the full table as a CSV from this page.
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