Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: Who scored more goals, who had more assists in 2021-22?

Despite the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were not at their best during the 2021-22 season, comparisons between the two elite footballers continue to surface on a daily basis. Both Ronaldo and Messi experienced significant upheaval in their most recent campaign, as they switched teams at the same time in August-September last year. While Ronaldo returned to his former club Manchester United after leaving Juventus before the start of the season, Messi was forced to leave Barcelona to join Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) due to the club's financial woes. 

Ronaldo vs Messi in 2021-22 

Ronaldo is way ahead of Messi in terms of goals scored in the 2021-22 season. Ronaldo has played 38 matches in his 2021-22 campaign and scored 24 goals, including two hat-tricks. Ronaldo also has three assists to his name. Messi, on the other hand, has played 34 matches and has scored 11 goals. The Argentine forward has no hat-trick to his name in the 2021-22 season, meaning his last treble came while he was still at Barcelona. 

Meanwhile, Messi is ahead of Ronaldo when it comes to assists in the 2021-22 season. Ronaldo has three assists to his name in the 2021-22 season, while Messi ended his annual campaign with 14 assists.  

Ronaldo finished the 2021-22 season as Manchester United's top goal-scorer with 18 goals and was ranked third in the list of Premier League's highest scorers, behind Mohamed Salah and Son Heung-min. Messi, on the other hand, has scored six goals in the Ligue 1 and is ranked 44th in the overall standings. 

Both Ronaldo and Messi failed to make a mark in the UEFA Champions League this year as their respective sides were knocked out of the competition in the last-16 round. Ronaldo scored six goals in the marquee European tournament, while Messi finished with five goals, all of them in the group stage. Meanwhile, Ronaldo will not play in the Champions League next year as his side failed to finish in the top four of the Premier League table.   

Image: Twitter/ChampionsLeague/ManUtd