Comparing how long it took Lionel Messi to score 100 goals for Inter Miami with Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr | OneFootball

Lionel Messi has scored his 100th goal for Inter Miami in just his 115th appearance for the club – but how does that stack up against Cristiano Ronaldo‘s first 100 goals for Al Nassr?

The MLS outfit signed Messi shortly after he captained Argentina to World Cup glory, and a record-extending eighth Ballon d’Or soon followed.

There were big expectations, given he’s the most high-profile signing in Major League Soccer history. But it’s safe to say that he’s met them, setting the tone with an injury-time match-winning free-kick on his debut and never looking back from there.

Messi has played a starring role in Inter Miami winning numerous trophies, including their first-ever MLS Cup last season, and his numbers are absolutely outrageous.

Not only has he notched a hundred goals in just 115 games, but he’s only scored five penalties and registered a further 58 assists. Extraordinary output.

“I think when you see him do things like this tonight, when you see him have the World Cup he’s had, it’s not luck that he’s being considered for the Ballon d’Or again,” Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham said after Messi scored his 100th goal in the Campeones Cup final victory over Cruz Azul.

“It’s not luck because he was probably the best player in the tournament. He had an incredible year.

“To affect a World Cup and every game the way he did, that’s special. There’s no one at 39 doing that and doing it at that level.

“He deserves to be considered for the Ballon d’Or. In my opinion, he should win it.

“You’ve got great players there like Harry Kane, like Kylian Mbappe, like Jude Bellingham and others. But you know when you’re talking about Leo I’m his biggest supporter.”

But how does Ronaldo’s record stack up after he left European football?

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward joined Al Nassr midway through the 2022-23 season, shortly after Portugal’s disappointing World Cup in Qatar, and after terminating his contract at Old Trafford after his second stint ended in acrimonious circumstances.

But even in his late thirties and early forties, Ronaldo continued scoring goals and is now closing on the thousandth of his professional career.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner scored his 100th goal for the Saudi Pro League club in two fewer games than Messi managed for Inter Miami, although he scored considerably more penalties and notched a lot fewer assists.

Here’s how Messi’s first 100 goals with Inter Miami compare to Ronaldo reaching the same milestone for Al Nassr

Lionel Messi at Inter Miami