UCL Groups + Knockouts All Champions League Main Draw Matches
Messi Stats UCL Groups + Knockouts All Time
119Goals
35Assists
148Apps
103mins per goal
79mins per goal contribution
Ronaldo Stats UCL Groups + Knockouts All Time
134Goals
39Assists
175Apps
114mins per goal
88mins per goal contribution
messivsronaldo.appUCL Groups + KnockoutsAll Time Stats
Goal Contributions
Goals
119Messi
134Ronaldo
Assists
35Messi
39Ronaldo
Appearances
148Messi
175Ronaldo
Minutes Played
12,242Messi
15,215Ronaldo
Goals Per Game
0.80Messi
0.77Ronaldo
Minutes Per Goal
102.9Messi
113.5Ronaldo
Mins Per Goal/Assist
79.5Messi
87.9Ronaldo
Hat-tricks
8Messi
8Ronaldo
Goals By Type
Penalties
16/19Messi
19/22Ronaldo
not including shootouts
Free Kick Goals
5Messi
12Ronaldo
Outside the Box
13Messi
8Ronaldo
not including free kick goals
Inside the Box
85Messi
95Ronaldo
not including penalty goals
Left Foot
97Messi
19Ronaldo
Right Foot
18Messi
91Ronaldo
Headers
4Messi
24Ronaldo
Other Body Part
0Messi
0Ronaldo
UCL Knockouts All Champions League Knockout Matches
Messi Stats UCL Knockouts All Time
48Goals
12Assists
72Apps
130mins per goal
104mins per goal contribution
Ronaldo Stats UCL Knockouts All Time
67Goals
14Assists
82Apps
108mins per goal
89mins per goal contribution
messivsronaldo.appUCL KnockoutsAll Time Stats
Goal Contributions
Goals
48Messi
67Ronaldo
Assists
12Messi
14Ronaldo
Appearances
72Messi
82Ronaldo
Minutes Played
6,224Messi
7,245Ronaldo
Goals Per Game
0.67Messi
0.82Ronaldo
Minutes Per Goal
129.7Messi
108.1Ronaldo
Mins Per Goal/Assist
103.7Messi
89.4Ronaldo
Hat-tricks
2Messi
4Ronaldo
Goals By Type
Penalties
8/10Messi
7/8Ronaldo
not including shootouts
Free Kick Goals
1Messi
4Ronaldo
Outside the Box
9Messi
4Ronaldo
not including free kick goals
Inside the Box
30Messi
52Ronaldo
not including penalty goals
Left Foot
39Messi
9Ronaldo
Right Foot
8Messi
41Ronaldo
Headers
1Messi
17Ronaldo
Other Body Part
0Messi
0Ronaldo
UCL Finals All Champions League Final Matches
Messi Stats UCL Finals All Time
2Goals
0Assists
3Apps
135mins per goal
135mins per goal contribution
Ronaldo Stats UCL Finals All Time
4Goals
1Assists
6Apps
158mins per goal
126mins per goal contribution
messivsronaldo.appUCL FinalsAll Time Stats
Goal Contributions
Goals
2Messi
4Ronaldo
Assists
0Messi
1Ronaldo
Appearances
3Messi
6Ronaldo
Minutes Played
270Messi
630Ronaldo
Goals Per Game
0.67Messi
0.67Ronaldo
Minutes Per Goal
135.0Messi
157.5Ronaldo
Mins Per Goal/Assist
135.0Messi
126.0Ronaldo
Hat-tricks
0Messi
0Ronaldo
Goals By Type
Penalties
0/0Messi
1/1Ronaldo
not including shootouts
Free Kick Goals
0Messi
0Ronaldo
Outside the Box
1Messi
0Ronaldo
not including free kick goals
Inside the Box
1Messi
3Ronaldo
not including penalty goals
Left Foot
1Messi
0Ronaldo
Right Foot
0Messi
3Ronaldo
Headers
1Messi
1Ronaldo
Other Body Part
0Messi
0Ronaldo
UCL Semi-finals All Champions League Semi-final Matches
Messi Stats UCL Semi-finals All Time
6Goals
3Assists
15Apps
220mins per goal
147mins per goal contribution
Ronaldo Stats UCL Semi-finals All Time
13Goals
2Assists
21Apps
146mins per goal
127mins per goal contribution
messivsronaldo.appUCL Semi-finalsAll Time Stats
Goal Contributions
Goals
6Messi
13Ronaldo
Assists
3Messi
2Ronaldo
Appearances
15Messi
21Ronaldo
Minutes Played
1,321Messi
1,903Ronaldo
Goals Per Game
0.40Messi
0.62Ronaldo
Minutes Per Goal
220.2Messi
146.4Ronaldo
Mins Per Goal/Assist
146.8Messi
126.9Ronaldo
Hat-tricks
0Messi
1Ronaldo
Goals By Type
Penalties
0/1Messi
2/3Ronaldo
not including shootouts
Free Kick Goals
1Messi
2Ronaldo
Outside the Box
1Messi
0Ronaldo
not including free kick goals
Inside the Box
4Messi
9Ronaldo
not including penalty goals
Left Foot
4Messi
0Ronaldo
Right Foot
2Messi
10Ronaldo
Headers
0Messi
3Ronaldo
Other Body Part
0Messi
0Ronaldo
UCL Quarter-finals All Champions League Quarter-final Matches
Messi Stats UCL Quarter-finals All Time
12Goals
3Assists
23Apps
163mins per goal
131mins per goal contribution
Ronaldo Stats UCL Quarter-finals All Time
25Goals
3Assists
22Apps
79mins per goal
71mins per goal contribution
messivsronaldo.appUCL Quarter-finalsAll Time Stats
Goal Contributions
Goals
12Messi
25Ronaldo
Assists
3Messi
3Ronaldo
Appearances
23Messi
22Ronaldo
Minutes Played
1,960Messi
1,975Ronaldo
Goals Per Game
0.52Messi
1.14Ronaldo
Minutes Per Goal
163.3Messi
79.0Ronaldo
Mins Per Goal/Assist
130.7Messi
70.5Ronaldo
Hat-tricks
1Messi
2Ronaldo
Goals By Type
Penalties
2/2Messi
1/1Ronaldo
not including shootouts
Free Kick Goals
0Messi
2Ronaldo
Outside the Box
3Messi
2Ronaldo
not including free kick goals
Inside the Box
7Messi
20Ronaldo
not including penalty goals
Left Foot
9Messi
3Ronaldo
Right Foot
3Messi
17Ronaldo
Headers
0Messi
5Ronaldo
Other Body Part
0Messi
0Ronaldo
UCL Last 16 All Champions League Last 16 Matches
Messi Stats UCL Last 16 All Time
28Goals
6Assists
31Apps
95mins per goal
79mins per goal contribution
Ronaldo Stats UCL Last 16 All Time
25Goals
8Assists
33Apps
109mins per goal
83mins per goal contribution
messivsronaldo.appUCL Last 16All Time Stats
Goal Contributions
Goals
28Messi
25Ronaldo
Assists
6Messi
8Ronaldo
Appearances
31Messi
33Ronaldo
Minutes Played
2,673Messi
2,737Ronaldo
Goals Per Game
0.90Messi
0.76Ronaldo
Minutes Per Goal
95.5Messi
109.5Ronaldo
Mins Per Goal/Assist
78.6Messi
82.9Ronaldo
Hat-tricks
1Messi
1Ronaldo
Goals By Type
Penalties
6/7Messi
3/3Ronaldo
not including shootouts
Free Kick Goals
0Messi
0Ronaldo
Outside the Box
4Messi
2Ronaldo
not including free kick goals
Inside the Box
18Messi
20Ronaldo
not including penalty goals
Left Foot
25Messi
6Ronaldo
Right Foot
3Messi
11Ronaldo
Headers
0Messi
8Ronaldo
Other Body Part
0Messi
0Ronaldo
UCL Group Stage All Champions League Group Stage Matches
Messi Stats UCL Group Stage All Time
71Goals
23Assists
76Apps
85mins per goal
64mins per goal contribution
Ronaldo Stats UCL Group Stage All Time
67Goals
25Assists
93Apps
119mins per goal
87mins per goal contribution
messivsronaldo.appUCL Group StageAll Time Stats
Goal Contributions
Goals
71Messi
67Ronaldo
Assists
23Messi
25Ronaldo
Appearances
76Messi
93Ronaldo
Minutes Played
6,018Messi
7,970Ronaldo
Goals Per Game
0.93Messi
0.72Ronaldo
Minutes Per Goal
84.8Messi
119.0Ronaldo
Mins Per Goal/Assist
64.0Messi
86.6Ronaldo
Hat-tricks
6Messi
4Ronaldo
Goals By Type
Penalties
8/9Messi
12/14Ronaldo
not including shootouts
Free Kick Goals
4Messi
8Ronaldo
Outside the Box
4Messi
4Ronaldo
not including free kick goals
Inside the Box
55Messi
43Ronaldo
not including penalty goals
Left Foot
58Messi
10Ronaldo
Right Foot
10Messi
50Ronaldo
Headers
3Messi
7Ronaldo
Other Body Part
0Messi
0Ronaldo
UCL Qualifiers All Champions League Qualifying Matches
Messi Stats UCL Qualifiers All Time
0Goals
0Assists
0Apps
0goals per game
Ronaldo Stats UCL Qualifiers All Time
1Goals
1Assists
4Apps
253mins per goal
127mins per goal contribution
messivsronaldo.appUCL QualifiersAll Time Stats
Goal Contributions
Goals
0Messi
1Ronaldo
Assists
0Messi
1Ronaldo
Appearances
0Messi
4Ronaldo
Minutes Played
0Messi
253Ronaldo
Goals Per Game
0.00Messi
0.25Ronaldo
Minutes Per Goal
0.0Messi
253.0Ronaldo
Mins Per Goal/Assist
0.0Messi
126.5Ronaldo
Hat-tricks
0Messi
0Ronaldo
Goals By Type
Penalties
0/0Messi
0/0Ronaldo
not including shootouts
Free Kick Goals
0Messi
0Ronaldo
Outside the Box
0Messi
0Ronaldo
not including free kick goals
Inside the Box
0Messi
1Ronaldo
not including penalty goals
Left Foot
0Messi
0Ronaldo
Right Foot
0Messi
1Ronaldo
Headers
0Messi
0Ronaldo
Other Body Part
0Messi
0Ronaldo
UEFA Cup All UEFA Cup / Europa League Matches
Messi Stats UEFA Cup All Time
0Goals
0Assists
0Apps
0goals per game
Ronaldo Stats UEFA Cup All Time
0Goals
0Assists
2Apps
0goals per game
messivsronaldo.appUEFA CupAll Time Stats
Goal Contributions
Goals
0Messi
0Ronaldo
Assists
0Messi
0Ronaldo
Appearances
0Messi
2Ronaldo
Minutes Played
0Messi
119Ronaldo
Goals Per Game
0.00Messi
0.00Ronaldo
Minutes Per Goal
0.0Messi
0.0Ronaldo
Mins Per Goal/Assist
0.0Messi
0.0Ronaldo
Hat-tricks
0Messi
0Ronaldo
Goals By Type
Penalties
0/0Messi
0/0Ronaldo
not including shootouts
Free Kick Goals
0Messi
0Ronaldo
Outside the Box
0Messi
0Ronaldo
not including free kick goals
Inside the Box
0Messi
0Ronaldo
not including penalty goals
Left Foot
0Messi
0Ronaldo
Right Foot
0Messi
0Ronaldo
Headers
0Messi
0Ronaldo
Other Body Part
0Messi
0Ronaldo
Messi vs Ronaldo in the UEFA Champions League
All stats on this page will auto-update
The Champions League is the world's greatest football competition. The World Cup still holds the status as the most prestigious trophy in world football, but in terms of quality, the Champions League is the pinnacle, with all of the world's best players involved every year.
Both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have enjoyed great success in the competition, with Messi lifting the trophy 4 times with Barcelona, whilst Ronaldo has won it 5 times; once with Manchester United and fours times with Real Madrid.
Champions League Goals
Unsurprisingly, Messi and Ronaldo are the two top goalscorers in Champions League history, with Ronaldo leading the way on 134 goals (+1 in qualifying) in 175 games, whilst Messi is 15 behind on 119 goals in 148 games.
Interestingly though, it was actually Leo Messi who first surpassed the previous all time goals record of 71, set by Real Madrid legend, Raúl. Messi broke the record with a hat-trick against APOEL in November 2014, putting him on 74 Champions League goals; 4 ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo who was on 70 goals at the time.
The fact that Ronaldo is now 15 goals ahead of Messi is testament to how relentlessly he has found the net in the last 5 years, regularly hitting double figures in the seasons that followed.
In fact, Cristiano Ronaldo scored 10 or more goals in seven consecutive seasons from 2011/12 to 2017/18, his best return coming in 2013/14 when he scored a stunning 17 goals in 11 appearances. This, of course, is a Champions League record for most goals scored in a single season.
Most goals in a single Champions League season
Rank
Player
Season
Goals
Games
1
Cristiano Ronaldo
2013/14
17
11
2
Cristiano Ronaldo
2013/14
16
12
3
Robert Lewandowski
2019/20
15
10
3
Cristiano Ronaldo
2013/14
15
13
5
Lionel Messi
2011/12
14
11
5
José Altafini
1962/63
14
9
7
Lionel Messi
2010/11
12
13
7
Lionel Messi
2018/19
12
10
7
Cristiano Ronaldo
2012/13
12
12
7
Cristiano Ronaldo
2016/17
12
13
7
Ferenc Puskas
1959/60
12
7
7
Ruud van Nistelrooy
2002/03
12
9
7
Mario Gómez
2011/12
12
13
Ronaldo has had multiple fantastic goalscoring seasons in the Champions League, finishing as the top scorer on 7 occasions, whilst Messi has finished as the Champions League top scorer 6 times in his career.
Despite Cristiano Ronaldo's stunning goal-surge in recent years, Messi still actually boasts the superior ratios, scoring 0.80 goals per game compared to Ronaldo's 0.77 goals per game.
If we drill down into minutes per goal, again Messi has the edge here, soring a goal every 102.9 minutes, whereas Ronaldo has scored a goal every 113.5 minutes in the Champions League.
Ronaldo Champions League Goals by Club
Believe it or not, Cristiano Ronaldo actually played 29 Champions League games for Manchester United before scoring his first goal! He finally broke his duck in the 7-1 victory over Roma in 2007, scoring 2 goals. As we now know, this really was a case of a long-awaited goal causing the floodgates to open.
Manchester United: 15 goals in 52 games
Real Madrid: 105 goals in 101 games (!)
Juventus: 14 goals in 22 games
Champions League Assists
In general, we're used to Leo Messi having the ascendancy when it comes to assists, but it's actually Ronaldo who currently holds the record for most assists in the UEFA Champions League, with 39 assists compared to Messi's 35 assists.
However, with Ronaldo clocking up 27 more games than Messi, it means Ronaldo averages 0.22 assists per game, whereas Messi averages 0.24 assists per game.
In terms of overall goal contributions, Messi leads the way, registering a goal or assist every 79.5 minutes, whilst Ronaldo records a goal or assist every 87.9 minutes.
Champions League Group Stage Stats
In the group stages, it's Messi that boasts the better goalscoring stats, with 71 goals in 76 games in the Champions League group stage, compared to Ronaldo's 67 goals in 93 games.
So despite playing 17 fewer group stage matches, Messi has scored 4 more goals than Ronaldo at this stage of the compeition.
Ronaldo has however provided more assists in Champions League group stage matches, with 25 assists to Messi's 23 assists.
Ronaldo Champions League Group Stage Goals by Club
Manchester United: 5 goals in 29 games
Real Madrid: 55 goals in 49 games
Juventus: 7 goals in 15 games
Champions League Knockout Stats
With Ronaldo being the all time top scorer in the Champions League and Messi having more group stage goals, you might have guessed that Ronaldo subsequently has significantly more in the knockout stages of the competition.
Indeed, Cristiano has racked up an incredible amount of goals in the latter stages of the Champions League in recent years, as his Real Madrid side won 4 out of 5 trophies in an unprecedented spell of European dominance.
In 2016, he scored a hat-trick to rescue Real Madrid against Wolfsburg in a quarter-final 2nd leg. In 2017 he became the first player to score back-to-back hat-tricks in the Champions League knockout stages, scoring 2 goals in extra-time to defeat Bayern Munich, before hitting 3 past arch-rivals Atletico Madrid in the following round. Two years later, now at Juventus, he scored another knockout stage hat-trick in the Last 16, again against Atletico who had won the 1st leg 2-0.
In total, Ronaldo has scored 67 goals in the Champions League knockout stages in 82 appearances, scoring a goal every 108.1 minutes on average. Messi has scored 48 goals in the Champions League knockout stages in 72 appearances, scoring a goal every 129.7 minutes on average.
If we look at assists, Ronaldo has 14 knockout stage assists to Messi's 12; although Ronaldo has played 10 more games. Overall, Ronaldo scores or assists every 89.4 minutes in Champions League knockout games, whereas Messi scores or assists every 103.7 minutes.
Messi has also had some huge nights in the Champions League knockout rounds. His personal favourite is probably his brace in the 2011 semi-final at the Bernabeu in one of the biggest El Clasico encounters in recent years. The second goal is one Messi claims to be his best ever goal, picking the ball up 30 yards from goal before proceeding to dribble through the entire Madrid defence and then sliding the ball past a bewildered Casillas.
Another that stands out is Messi's destruction of Bayern Munich in the 2015 semi-final, during which he literally floored Jerome Boateng through his movement alone. In 2019, Messi put on a masterclass against Manchester United in the quarter-final 2nd leg, scoring twice. He then followed this up with another brace against Liverpool, arguably the best side in the world at the time. His stunning 30 yard free kick ensured they took a 3-0 advantage to the away leg, but we all know what happened next. Messi did play well in the 2nd leg though, setting up 3 major chances for his team mates, but this was ultimately not enough.
Cristiano Ronaldo's superb goalscoring stats in the Champions League knockout rounds are perhaps his greatest asset in the infamous GOAT debate.
Ronaldo Champions League Knockout Stage Goals by Club
Manchester United: 10 goals in 23 games
Real Madrid: 50 goals in 52 games
Juventus: 7 goals in 7 games
Champions League Finals
Both Messi and Ronaldo have good records in Champions League finals, appearing in 9 finals between them. In one of these finals, the two players actually faced each other, with Messi's Barcelona defeating Ronaldo's Manchester United in 2009 with goals from Eto'o and a famous Leo Messi header.
Ronaldo was however on the winning side a year previous, as Man Utd beat Chelsea on penalties; Ronaldo scored during the game but actually missed his penalty in the shootout. But when John Terry stepped up to take the winning penalty for Chelsea, he slipped, missed the goal and Ronaldo secured his first Champions League trophy.
In 2011, Messi produced an outstanding performance as his Barcelona side completely outclassed Manchester United, winning the game 3-1 with Messi scoring the crucial second goal.
In 2017, Ronaldo scored 2 goals as Real Madrid ran out 4-1 winners against his future side Juventus.
Overall, Messi has scored 2 goals in 3 final appearances, with 0 assists. Ronaldo has played in 6 Champions League finals, scoring 4 goals and providing 1 assist.
In short, both players have delivered on the big stage, with Messi winning all 3 of the finals he's appeared in, whilst Ronaldo has won 5 out of 6.
Beyond the Goals
Of course, football is about more than just goals, which is easily forgotten when Messi and Ronaldo put the ball in the net so relentlessly.
First of all, let's look at passing. Since 2009/10, Messi has made 253 key passes in 115 Champions League appearances, whereas Ronaldo has made 203 key passes in 123 games.
When it comes to dribbling, Messi has completed 538 successful dribbles in the Champions League since 2009/10, whilst Ronaldo has completed less than half Messi's total, with 238 successful dribbles in the same period.
It must be noted however that these above stats aren't particularly surprising when you consider their respective playing styles. Additionally, Ronaldo's dribbling and passing stats are likely to be higher before 2009 when he was more of a genuine winger and more involved in the build-up play.
Ronaldo dominates when it comes to winning the ball in the air, winning 175 aerial duels in the Champions League since 2009/10 compared to Messi's 29 aerial duels won. Again, hardly surprising given their physical attributes and the playing styles of their teams.
Ronaldo consistenly takes more shots at goal than Leo Messi does, but it's the Argentinian who converts a greater proportion of his efforts into goals, scoring a goal for every 5.52 shots he's taken in the Champions League since 2009/10. Cristiano meanwhile has scored a goal for every 6.41 shots he's taken.
Taking the above stats (amongst others) into account alongside goals and assists, stats providers are able to produce match ratings based on their algorithms. Lionel Messi's overall average match rating in the Champions League since 2009/10 is 8.48, whilst Cristiano Ronaldo's overall match rating is 8.02.
With those average ratings, it follows that Messi has also received a greater number of Man of the Match awards in the Champions League, picking up 62 awards since 2009/10 (115 games), compared to Ronaldo's 38 man of the match awards (123 games).
Average match ratings in the Champions League for each season since 2009/10
Champions League Records
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have practically rewritten the Champions League record books as their careers have progressed, a selection of which are listed below. For the full range of Champions League records these guys have broken, head over to the Records page.
🏅Most Goals: Cristiano Ronaldo (134 goals)
🏅Most Assists: Cristiano Ronaldo (39 assists)
🏅Most Goals in a Single Season: Cristiano Ronaldo (17 goals in 2013/14)
🏅Most Hat-tricks: Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo (8 hat-tricks)
🏅Most Goals in a Game: Lionel Messi (5 goals - shared with Luiz Adriano)
🏅Most Free Kick Goals: Cristiano Ronaldo (12 goals)