Assists (Transfermarkt™ criteria) given by Messi vs Ronaldo in european clubs
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 | 14 | -14 |
| 2004/2005 | 0 | 23 | -23 |
| 2005/2006 | 5 | 32 | -27 |
| 2006/2007 | 9 | 53 | -44 |
| 2007/2008 | 27 | 61 | -34 |
| 2008/2009 | 46 | 73 | -27 |
| 2009/2010 | 60 | 85 | -25 |
| 2010/2011 | 88 | 103 | -15 |
| 2011/2012 | 124 | 118 | +6 |
| 2012/2013 | 142 | 131 | +11 |
| 2013/2014 | 158 | 147 | +11 |
| 2014/2015 | 191 | 170 | +21 |
| 2015/2016 | 215 | 185 | +30 |
| 2016/2017 | 238 | 197 | +41 |
| 2017/2018 | 261 | 205 | +56 |
| 2018/2019 | 285 | 218 | +67 |
| 2019/2020 | 313 | 227 | +86 |
| 2020/2021 | 331 | 233 | +98 |
| 2021/2022 | 348 | 236 | +112 |
| 2022/2023 | 370 | 238 | +132 |
Distribution by season
| Period | Lionel Messi | Cristiano Ronaldo | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002/2003 | 5 | -5 | |
| 2003/2004 | 9 | -9 | |
| 2004/2005 | 9 | -9 | |
| 2005/2006 | 5 | 9 | -4 |
| 2006/2007 | 4 | 21 | -17 |
| 2007/2008 | 18 | 8 | +10 |
| 2008/2009 | 19 | 12 | +7 |
| 2009/2010 | 14 | 12 | +2 |
| 2010/2011 | 28 | 18 | +10 |
| 2011/2012 | 36 | 15 | +21 |
| 2012/2013 | 18 | 13 | +5 |
| 2013/2014 | 16 | 16 | 0 |
| 2014/2015 | 33 | 23 | +10 |
| 2015/2016 | 24 | 15 | +9 |
| 2016/2017 | 23 | 12 | +11 |
| 2017/2018 | 23 | 8 | +15 |
| 2018/2019 | 24 | 13 | +11 |
| 2019/2020 | 28 | 9 | +19 |
| 2020/2021 | 18 | 6 | +12 |
| 2021/2022 | 17 | 3 | +14 |
| 2022/2023 | 22 | 2 | +20 |
Assists (Transfermarkt™ criteria) given by Messi vs Ronaldo in european clubs: key facts
Who has more assists, Messi or Ronaldo?
Messi has provided 303 assists and Ronaldo 201 assists. Messi is ahead by 102. Messi gives an assist every 231 minutes and Ronaldo every 385 minutes, so Messi creates for his teammates 66% more often.
Data updated on 01/11/2026.
Cache date: 03-11-2026 23:33:53