Messi and Ronaldo are widely considered two of the greatest footballers ever to play the sport. Despite both coming to the end of their illustrious careers, there was a time when the two attackers would compete against each other at the highest level in their respective teams.
Messi is most renowned for his time at FC Barcelona, whereas Ronaldo is most remembered for his time at Real Madrid. This meant that multiple fixtures saw these footballing giants facing each other, often bringing joy and excitement to spectators globally. In their 36 encounters against each other, Messi has tipped Ronaldo in the goalscoring department, scoring on 22 occasions in comparison to Ronaldo's 21.
Despite the fixture just being another game in the calendar, fixtures including the two seemed more than this, a platform for one to show the world why they are the best in the world. Outplayed, specialists in side hustles UK and matched betting have analysed the 36 times the pair have faced off to find the best head-to-head fixtures.
Real Madrid 2-3 Barcelona, 2017
In this fixture, Barcelona required nothing less than a win to keep their LaLiga title hopes alive. After 75 minutes, Barcelona were leading 2-1 thanks to goals from Messi himself and Ivan Rakitić. James Rodríguez equalised the scoring in the 85th minute, destroying the title hopes of the Barcelona fans. It was the 92nd minute, and the ball fell to Lionel Messi on the edge of Madrid's penalty box, where he struck the back of the net for the second time in the game, winning the game for Catalonia. Messi celebrated by taking his shirt off and pointing to his name on the back, which would become one of the most iconic celebrations ever.
Real Madrid 1-0 Barcelona, 2011
This Real Madrid victory was the first one that came whilst Cristiano Ronaldo was a part of the team. It was, however, the fifth time Ronaldo faced Barcelona as a Real Madrid player, this time in the final of the Copa del Rey. The game took place in the Mestella Stadium in Valencia on the 20th of April. Both teams were stacked with superstars, including both Messi and Ronaldo. Despite being a highly contested and hostile match, after 90 minutes the score was 0-0. It was in extra time, specifically the 103rd minute, when Cristiano Ronaldo broke the deadlock on what would be the only goal in the match. The goal crowned Real Madrid their 18th Copa del Rey, etching their names into the history books once again.
Barcelona 2-0 Manchester United, 2009
This was only the third time the players had met; this time, they were a lot younger, and at the greatest stage in club football, the UEFA Champions League Final. At the time, Ronaldo was the reigning Ballon d’Or winner, attempting to prove his skills at the biggest stage of all. Messi was widely reported as the next in line to the throne at the time and was expected to become the next winner if he could help get Barcelona over the edge in the final. The fixture was held at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on the 27th of May, 2009. It was a competitive fixture, stacked with world-class players on both sides. Samuel Eto’o opened the scoring in the 10th minute, with Messi rounding off the action in the 70th minute with a wonderful header despite his small stature. After winning the tie, Messi was crowned the Ballon d’Or winner, and Ronaldo would leave Manchester United for Real Madrid in a record-breaking fee.
Barcelona 1-2 Real Madrid, 2012
As well as the Messi vs Ronaldo rivalry, this fixture came in the heat of a unique managerial rivalry, the Guardiola (Barcelona) vs Mourinho (Real Madrid) rivalry. Real Madrid came into the fixture needing a win to all but decide the title, being 4 points ahead of Barcelona with only 5 games to go. The game began with Real Madrid taking an early lead thanks to Sami Khedira, which would last until the 70th minute when Alexis Sánchez would equalise. Shortly after, Ronaldo would score, winning the tie for Real Madrid, and grabbing a crucial 3 points in the title race. The tie is most remembered by the iconic “calma” celebration by Ronaldo.
Barcelona 5-0 Real Madrid, 2010
By the time this fixture came around, the pair were both established stars, with a Ballon d’Or each. This fixture was the largest goal margin in any game played with both players in; however, neither of them scored a goal in this match. Barcelona were the better of the two sides coming into the fixture, being at the top of the La Liga table. Despite not scoring in the fixture, Messi set up two goals for Spanish forward David Villa. In this fixture, a unique tactical adjustment was made before the game by Mourinho, swapping Ronaldo from his favoured left wing to the right wing instead.