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The greatest rivalry known to sports, Ronaldo vs Messi, consistently pits the two football greats against one another. For years, the two stars have had every aspect of their football career analyzed in comparison to one another, and the most incredible excitement has been generated amidst head-to-head matches between Ronaldo and Messi.
Football fans were enthusiastic about Al-Nassr and Inter Miami’s international friendly on February 1, 2024, as the two stars were set to face off and revive the Ronaldo vs Messi rivalry at that match. Unfortunately, football fans alike were upset as Ronaldo suffered a calf injury and had to forgo the match against his greatest rival.
Despite the Portuguese native’s absence, Al-Nassr won the friendly against goalless Inter Miami 6-0.
The two legends are constantly pitted against each other as fans argue over which star can claim the title of the GOAT of football.
As 2024 is underway, let’s look at how Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi compare this far into the year.
Ronaldo vs Messi statistics across all 2024 regular season competitions:
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Lionel Messi | |
|---|---|---|
| Appearances | 13 | 8 |
| Goals | 12 | 7 |
| Assists | 1 | 4 |
| Trophies/Titles | 0 | 0 |
Ronaldo vs Messi feats in 2024:
With only a few months underway in 2024, neither star has clinched a trophy or title since the start of the year.
Throughout Messi’s eight matches with Miami across all competitions, the Argentinian native either scored a goal or provided an assist in each game, and in some instances, he even secured both.
While Ronaldo has scored goals across a significant number of his matches in 2024, there have been games in which the Al-Nassr forward has gone goalless and not managed to secure an assist.
Messi appeared in fewer matches than Ronaldo in 2024, yet the Argentinian native secured the impressive feat of significantly impacting each game he competes in.
Who received a red card this year?
Ronaldo was red-carded in the second half of the Saudi Super Cup Semifinal match between Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal on April 8, 2024.
The Portuguese legend was seen elbowing his Al-Hilal opponent, Ali Al-Bulayhi, in the chest and throat before raising his fist towards the referee in the match. Ronaldo had to swiftly depart the game following the red card as his club lost 2-1 to Al-Hilal, allowing their opponents to clinch their 33rd consecutive win.
In addition to Ronaldo’s red card in the Super Cup Semifinal, the 39-year-old received three yellow cards in 2024 throughout different competitions.
While the Al-Nassr forward has received a number of cards since the start of 2024, Messi has endured a clean slate.
Unlike his rival, the Inter Miami star has not received a red or yellow card in any of his appearances since the start of the year.
What’s next for the two rivals?
As 2024 is a few months underway, there still remains a great amount of time for the two legends to clinch more accomplishments in their matches and to heighten the Ronaldo vs Messi rivalry as fans tune in to watch the stars compete in their respective clubs.
Messi is competing in his first full season with Inter Miami this year after signing with the club on July 15, 2023. Messi is accompanied by his former Barcelona teammates and close friends Jordi Alba, Luis Suárez, and Sergio Busquets this season. Fans are excited to see how the four footballers compete this year alongside one another and to see what is in store for the 36-year-old sensation.
In December 2022, Ronaldo signed with Al-Nassr, becoming one of the few acclaimed footballers who decided to join the Saudi Pro League after the league attempted to poach some of football’s greatest stars. In his first season with the club, Ronaldo and Al-Nassr finished the season in second place and are currently in the same ranking for this 2023-2024 season.
While both stars compete in their respective leagues, it will be interesting to see what accomplishments will they achieve and how the Ronaldo vs Messi rivalry evolves.
