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Assists (Opta™ criteria) given by Messi vs Ronaldo
Opta stands out as the most reliable statistics hub and serves as the de facto ‘official’ statistics provider in football. They furnish data to esteemed platforms such as the BBC, the Premier League, WhoScored, Squawka, and numerous other prominent media outlets.
Below is Opta’s interpretation of an assist:
The final touch (pass, pass-cum-shot or any other touch) leading to the recipient of the ball scoring a goal. If the final touch is deflected by an opposition player, the initiator is only given a goal assist if the receiving player was likely to receive the ball without the deflection having taken place. Own goals, directly taken free kicks, direct corner goals and penalties do not get an assist awarded.
Cumulative distribution
| Period | Lionel Messi | Cristiano Ronaldo | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002/2003 | 0 | 4 | -4 |
| 2003/2004 | 0 | 13 | -13 |
| 2004/2005 | 0 | 25 | -25 |
| 2005/2006 | 6 | 35 | -29 |
| 2006/2007 | 11 | 51 | -40 |
| 2007/2008 | 27 | 59 | -32 |
| 2008/2009 | 46 | 68 | -22 |
| 2009/2010 | 58 | 79 | -21 |
| 2010/2011 | 87 | 97 | -10 |
| 2011/2012 | 121 | 114 | +7 |
| 2012/2013 | 139 | 128 | +11 |
| 2013/2014 | 155 | 143 | +12 |
| 2014/2015 | 186 | 164 | +22 |
| 2015/2016 | 213 | 181 | +32 |
| 2016/2017 | 231 | 194 | +37 |
| 2017/2018 | 252 | 205 | +47 |
| 2018/2019 | 272 | 215 | +57 |
| 2019/2020 | 298 | 220 | +78 |
| 2020/2021 | 315 | 227 | +88 |
| 2021/2022 | 331 | 231 | +100 |
| 2022/2023 | 361 | 236 | +125 |
| 2023/2024 | 379 | 252 | +127 |
| 2024/2025 | 391 | 257 | +134 |
| 2025/2026 | 391 | 258 | +133 |
Assists type
Compiled using Opta™ data from 2009 to present, for the following competitions:
Distribution by season
| Period | Lionel Messi | Cristiano Ronaldo | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002/2003 | 4 | -4 | |
| 2003/2004 | 9 | -9 | |
| 2004/2005 | 12 | -12 | |
| 2005/2006 | 6 | 10 | -4 |
| 2006/2007 | 5 | 16 | -11 |
| 2007/2008 | 16 | 8 | +8 |
| 2008/2009 | 19 | 9 | +10 |
| 2009/2010 | 12 | 11 | +1 |
| 2010/2011 | 29 | 18 | +11 |
| 2011/2012 | 34 | 17 | +17 |
| 2012/2013 | 18 | 14 | +4 |
| 2013/2014 | 16 | 15 | +1 |
| 2014/2015 | 31 | 21 | +10 |
| 2015/2016 | 27 | 17 | +10 |
| 2016/2017 | 18 | 13 | +5 |
| 2017/2018 | 21 | 11 | +10 |
| 2018/2019 | 20 | 10 | +10 |
| 2019/2020 | 26 | 5 | +21 |
| 2020/2021 | 17 | 7 | +10 |
| 2021/2022 | 16 | 4 | +12 |
| 2022/2023 | 30 | 5 | +25 |
| 2023/2024 | 18 | 16 | +2 |
| 2024/2025 | 12 | 5 | +7 |
| 2025/2026 | 1 | -1 |
| Totals | Per game | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Games | Goals | Assists | Goals | Assists | Contrib. |
| FC Barcelona | 778 | 672 | 269 | 0.86 | 0.35 | 1.21 |
| PSG | 75 | 32 | 34 | 0.43 | 0.45 | 0.88 |
| Inter Miami | 76 | 64 | 30 | 0.84 | 0.39 | 1.24 |
| Argentina | 194 | 114 | 58 | 0.59 | 0.30 | 0.89 |
| Totals | 1123 | 882 | 391 | 0.79 | 0.35 | 1.13 |
Lionel Messi 38 years, 2 months, 30 days
| Totals | Per game | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Games | Goals | Assists | Goals | Assists | Contrib. |
| Sporting CP | 31 | 5 | 4 | 0.16 | 0.13 | 0.29 |
| Real Madrid | 438 | 450 | 120 | 1.03 | 0.27 | 1.30 |
| Juventus | 134 | 101 | 20 | 0.75 | 0.15 | 0.90 |
| Manchester Utd | 346 | 145 | 57 | 0.42 | 0.16 | 0.58 |
| Al-Nassr FC | 116 | 103 | 20 | 0.89 | 0.17 | 1.06 |
| Portugal | 223 | 141 | 37 | 0.63 | 0.17 | 0.80 |
| Totals | 1288 | 945 | 258 | 0.73 | 0.20 | 0.93 |
Cristiano Ronaldo 40 years, 7 months, 18 days
