Comparing Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s stats over their first 250 appearances | OneFootball

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have defined an entire generation of football with their talent, achievements and legacy – but which legend enjoyed the better opening to their career?

Ronaldo was considered a wonderkid from a young age. CR7 made his senior debut for Sporting at the age of 17 and quickly developed from that point onwards.

His first 250 appearances stretch to March 2007, during his first really prolific season at Manchester United.

In that time, he scored 64 goals in 250 games and averaged a strike every 265 minutes. He also produced 46 assists during that period, taking his overall goal contributions to 110 in his first 250 appearances.

Messi burst onto the scene as a gifted teenager at Barcelona, wowing fans at Camp Nou with his amazing dribbling ability and his unerring eye for goal.

In his case, Messi’s first 250 appearances took him to April 2010 – when he was widely thought of as the best footballer in the world.

Up to that point, he scored 133 goals and produced 56 assists, averaging a goal contribution every 96.9 minutes.

When comparing Messi’s numbers with Ronaldo’s, you would expect Ronaldo to have scored significantly more penalties at any point in their respective careers.

But Messi netted 13 penalties in his first 250 games, compared with five for his Portuguese contemporary.

On the other hand, Ronaldo scored more free-kicks at the start of his career (four compared with Messi’s three). Those roles would reverse over the following 15 years.

In truth, both of their numbers were exemplary, especially given their tender age and what was to come.

We’ve broken down the two rivals’ numbers, including goals and assists, over their first 250 appearances for club and country.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s first 250 appearances