Comparing Cristiano Ronaldo’s stats since turning 30 with Lionel Messi’s as CR7 hits landmark figure | OneFootball

While most players start to wind down soon after turning 30, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have continued to produce elite performances.

There can be no doubt that both players are streets ahead of anyone else in their generation and that’s somewhat thanks to their longevity at the top.

Indeed, Ronaldo made his debut back in 2002 and is still going strong today at the ripe old age of 41 for Al-Nassr.

Amazingly, he recently scored his 500th goal since turning 30, becoming the first player in football history to hit that landmark figure.

Prior to Ronaldo reaching 500 goals, former Arsenal striker Ronnie Rooke held the record with 493 goals scored after turning 30.

Other notable stars who’ve scored 300+ goals after turning 30 include: Romario, Josef Bican, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Robert Lewandowski and Messi.

Amazingly, CR7 has now scored more goals since turning 30 than he did in his years prior, having scored 463 goals during his younger years. In total, he’s now scored 964 career goals, leaving him 36 shy of the 1000 landmark.

Of Ronaldo’s 501 goals scored since turning 30, 107 of them have been penalties and he’s also scored 21 direct free-kicks.

In comparison, Messi has scored 331 goals since turning 30, although he has played considerably fewer matches.

As of writing, the Argentine forward has made 437 appearances since turning 30, which is 155 fewer games than Ronaldo.

CR7 does have the better minute-per-goal ratio, but it’s worth highlighting that Messi has been more prolific when not counting penalties.

Since turning 30, Ronaldo has averaged a non-penalty goal every 128 minutes, while Messi has averaged a strike every 126 minutes.

In terms of assists and chance creation, Messi unsurprisingly has the edge over his Portuguese counterpart.

During his last 437 games, he’s racked up an impressive 176 assists, which is 71 more than Ronaldo has managed since turning 30.

In total, both players have produced more goal contributions than appearances made, which is a testament to their unbelievable longevity at the top.

Here’s the full breakdown of how Ronaldo’s numbers compare with Messi’s, since both players turned 30.

Cristiano Ronaldo