Eighteen years after their first meeting, the numbers behind soccer’s defining rivalry still show how close the battle has been.
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi 18 years later: this is their head-to-head record since their first game
For nearly two decades, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have dominated soccer. Between them, they have won 13 Ballon d’Or awards, broken countless records and scored almost 2,000 career goals combined.
Yet both know the end of their careers is drawing closer, with Inter Miami, Al Nassr and the national teams of Argentina and Portugal, respectively.
Looking back, April 23 marks a special date for both players. On this day 18 years ago, Ronaldo and Messi played the first game in what would become a long history of meetings across almost two decades.
That clash came in the Champions League semifinals in the 2007-08 season, when Camp Nou witnessed a duel between CR7 and Messi for the first time. Ronaldo had the chance to become the main character, but a missed penalty made things much harder for Manchester United.
The Champions League semifinal first leg ended goalless, meaning Ronaldo and Messi had to decide the first winner of that historic rivalry in the return game at Old Trafford. United edged it 1-0 through a Paul Scholes goal, reaching the final against Chelsea, where the Portuguese star won the first Champions League title of his career.
Un día como hoy pero hace 18 años, Messi enfrentó por primera vez a Cristiano Ronaldo por la ida en semifinales de UEFA Champions League.
— AS USA Latino (@US_diarioas) April 23, 2026
CR7 vestía colores de los Red Devils y Messi portaba el dorsal 19 con los culers (2008)🔴
Nueve años después (2017) Leo Messi presumió su… pic.twitter.com/i2IVTXCBng
How the Cristiano Ronaldo-Messi head-to-head stands
Across nearly two decades in which Messi and Ronaldo have ruled the soccer world, the two have faced each other 35 times.
The balance favors Messi, who has won 16 of those 35 meetings, while CR7 has come out on top 10 times so far.
The scoring numbers are tight. In games between the two, Messi has scored 21 goals, while Ronaldo has struck 20 times. However, CR7 has provided only one assist, while the Argentine leads that category with 12.
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