Assists (Transfermarkt™ criteria) given by Messi vs Ronaldo before turning 30 years old
Transfermarkt‘s criteria is more lenient in their concept of assists. They include deflected passes, rebounded shots, penalties earned, and passes or shots leading to an own goal.
In this section, we use that criterion, although the figures on Transfermarkt may differ, as they are quite inconsistent in gathering assists.
Cumulative distribution
| Period | Lionel Messi | Cristiano Ronaldo | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002/2003 | 0 | 5 | -5 |
| 2003/2004 | 0 | 17 | -17 |
| 2004/2005 | 0 | 31 | -31 |
| 2005/2006 | 9 | 43 | -34 |
| 2006/2007 | 17 | 67 | -50 |
| 2007/2008 | 39 | 78 | -39 |
| 2008/2009 | 60 | 90 | -30 |
| 2009/2010 | 78 | 106 | -28 |
| 2010/2011 | 112 | 127 | -15 |
| 2011/2012 | 153 | 144 | +9 |
| 2012/2013 | 175 | 160 | +15 |
| 2013/2014 | 194 | 178 | +16 |
| 2014/2015 | 231 | 191 | +40 |
| 2015/2016 | 259 | 191 | +68 |
| 2016/2017 | 284 | 191 | +93 |
Distribution by season
| Period | Lionel Messi | Cristiano Ronaldo | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002/2003 | 5 | -5 | |
| 2003/2004 | 12 | -12 | |
| 2004/2005 | 14 | -14 | |
| 2005/2006 | 9 | 12 | -3 |
| 2006/2007 | 8 | 24 | -16 |
| 2007/2008 | 22 | 11 | +11 |
| 2008/2009 | 21 | 12 | +9 |
| 2009/2010 | 18 | 16 | +2 |
| 2010/2011 | 34 | 21 | +13 |
| 2011/2012 | 41 | 17 | +24 |
| 2012/2013 | 22 | 16 | +6 |
| 2013/2014 | 19 | 18 | +1 |
| 2014/2015 | 37 | 13 | +24 |
| 2015/2016 | 28 | +28 | |
| 2016/2017 | 25 | +25 |
Assists (Transfermarkt™ criteria) given by Messi vs Ronaldo before turning 30 years old: key facts
Who has more assists, Messi or Ronaldo?
Messi has provided 231 assists and Ronaldo 155 assists. Messi is ahead by 76. Messi gives an assist every 245 minutes and Ronaldo every 365 minutes, so Messi creates for his teammates 49% more often.
Data updated on 01/11/2026.
Cache date: 03-11-2026 23:35:20