Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi, after ESPN released their statistics, the competition between the two absolute top players in football has heated up again!

For the current world football, although new stars are constantly emerging, there are no more "peerless twins" like Ronaldo and Messi. Although Cristiano Ronaldo, who was born in 1985, has gone to the Saudi Arabian League to "retire", and Messi in 1987 has also entered the MLS to retire early, a set of data recently released by ESPN has brought the "secret rivalry" between the two absolute prides in football back into the spotlight, triggering heated discussions among countless fans around the world.

According to data released by ESPN, the 40-year-old Ronaldo has already scored 33 goals in 2025, expanding to 949 goals in 1,292 games throughout his career. Messi, who is 2 years younger than Ronaldo, recently won the Golden Boot of the American League. In 2025, he was even more in hot form, scoring 41 goals. Also looking at his entire career, Messi scored 891 goals in 1,131 games. Their scoring statistics are unmatched by countless players.

Since the beginning of La Liga, these two football legends have been secretly competing with each other. Unexpectedly, when the two of them entered the countdown to retirement, they were also constantly competing with each other. Take recent events as an example. Messi was in great form in the MLS game against Inter Miami. His two goals directly helped the team win the game, which can be said to have contributed a lot. The management of Inter Miami probably woke up laughing because it did not spend a transfer fee to bring in Messi.

Ronaldo's performance was equally solid, with wonderful goals one after another, feasting the eyes of the fans. Just when Messi was winning the Golden Boot, Cristiano Ronaldo came out for an interview again and once again talked about "self-discipline." Cristiano Ronaldo said, "Sleep is my most important 'magic weapon'. I must maintain a regular bedtime and wake-up time. In terms of healthy lifespan, this may be the most important thing in our lives."

Regarding the rivalry between these two legendary superstars, fans have once again discussed them heatedly. Many fans commented: "Messi only relied on one penalty kick to score this year. How many penalty kicks did Cristiano Ronaldo have? Haha." Many fans exclaimed after seeing the data: "I always thought Ronaldo scored more goals than Messi in 25 years!" Obviously, this data broke some people's inherent perceptions. For Ronaldo, such data comparison undoubtedly makes him feel pressure.

From La Liga to the Champions League stage, the competition between Ronaldo and Messi has run through the youth of countless fans. Even though they are now past the peak of their careers, they are still maintaining their love for football. In this protracted battle for “first”, who will have the last laugh? Judging from the current status of the two, they will still be the focus of the 2026 World Cup, and they may also create new and more surprises.