Assists (Opta™ criteria) given by Messi vs Ronaldo in knockout games before turning 30 years old
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 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 | 0 | 3 | -3 |
| 2005 | 0 | 8 | -8 |
| 2006 | 0 | 8 | -8 |
| 2007 | 1 | 11 | -10 |
| 2008 | 1 | 12 | -11 |
| 2009 | 5 | 13 | -8 |
| 2010 | 6 | 14 | -8 |
| 2011 | 15 | 16 | -1 |
| 2012 | 21 | 17 | +4 |
| 2013 | 22 | 18 | +4 |
| 2014 | 26 | 23 | +3 |
| 2015 | 36 | 23 | +13 |
| 2016 | 48 | 23 | +25 |
| 2017 | 51 | 23 | +28 |
Assists type
| Player | Games | Cross | Corner | Throughball | Free kick | Others | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leo Messi | 682 | 26/257 | 10.12% | 8/257 | 3.11% | 88/257 | 34.24% | 15/257 | 5.84% | 137/257 | 53.31% |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 638 | 15/148 | 10.14% | 0/148 | 0% | 17/148 | 11.49% | 2/148 | 1.35% | 116/148 | 78.38% |
Source: Opta™ Sports – Last update: 27/08/2025
Distribution by calendar year
| Period | Lionel Messi | Cristiano Ronaldo | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 0 | ||
| 2003 | 0 | ||
| 2004 | 3 | -3 | |
| 2005 | 5 | -5 | |
| 2006 | 0 | ||
| 2007 | 1 | 3 | -2 |
| 2008 | 1 | -1 | |
| 2009 | 4 | 1 | +3 |
| 2010 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2011 | 9 | 2 | +7 |
| 2012 | 6 | 1 | +5 |
| 2013 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2014 | 4 | 5 | -1 |
| 2015 | 10 | +10 | |
| 2016 | 12 | +12 | |
| 2017 | 3 | +3 |
| Totals | Per game | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Games | Goals | Assists | Goals | Assists | Contrib. |
| FC Barcelona | 144 | 101 | 41 | 0.70 | 0.28 | 0.99 |
| Argentina | 17 | 4 | 10 | 0.24 | 0.59 | 0.82 |
| Totals | 161 | 105 | 51 | 0.65 | 0.32 | 0.97 |
| Totals | Per game | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Games | Goals | Assists | Goals | Assists | Contrib. |
| Sporting CP | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0.33 | 0.00 | 0.33 |
| Manchester Utd | 67 | 29 | 12 | 0.43 | 0.18 | 0.61 |
| Real Madrid | 63 | 50 | 10 | 0.79 | 0.16 | 0.95 |
| Portugal | 15 | 8 | 1 | 0.53 | 0.07 | 0.60 |
| Totals | 151 | 89 | 23 | 0.59 | 0.15 | 0.74 |
Last games:
Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid
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2-2 |  |
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C. Ronaldo, 90′
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