Messi's brace against New York Red Bulls brought his career total to 874 goals in 1,114 matches, the second-highest tally in history. Ronaldo still leads with 938 goals in 1,281 matches.
The Argentinian superstar has scored 110 penalty goals from 141 attempts, a 78% success rate, close to the average. The Portuguese captain has scored 175 penalties from 208 attempts, an 84% success rate, slightly above average. Therefore, excluding penalties, Messi has surpassed Ronaldo with 764 goals compared to Ronaldo's 763.
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Messi during Inter Miami's victory over Porto in the second round of Group A of the FIFA Club World Cup at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, on 19/6/2025. _Photo: Reuters_ |
Non-penalty goal statistics are increasingly used in the media to measure pure goalscoring ability. Penalty kicks have a conversion rate of 78% to 80%, significantly higher than most open-play opportunities. Furthermore, the penalty taker may not have contributed to the team's overall play leading up to the penalty.
This statistic is also often used during transfer windows. For example, two new Man Utd signings, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, scored 15 and 20 goals respectively in the Premier League last season. However, their non-penalty goal tallies were both 15. This statistic is more relevant because, upon joining the "Red Devils", neither player will have many penalty opportunities, as that responsibility falls to captain Bruno Fernandes.
Since the 2022 World Cup, Messi has taken only two penalties and scored both. He often defers to teammates in less crucial situations, taking penalties himself only at decisive moments.
During the same period, Ronaldo has taken 33 penalties, scoring 29. The 40-year-old superstar's penalty conversion rate during this period is 88%, higher than his career average.
Messi's lead over Ronaldo is partly due to the Al Nassr captain's current off-season break. The new 2025-2026 season will begin for Jorge Jesus and his team with a match against Al Ittihad in the Saudi Super Cup semi-final on 19/8.
Inter Miami's next match will be against league leaders Cincinnati at 6:15 a.m. Sunday, 27/7, Hanoi time.
Compiled by Hoang An
