Lionel Messi has simply turned 38. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner is winding down his nice profession with MLS outfit Inter Miami, however how does he evaluate to his nice rival Cristiano Ronaldo on the similar stage?
We’ve determined to take a better have a look at the 2 era-defining goalscorers and their stats purely from their thirty seventh yr.
Messi turned 37 halfway by Argentina’s profitable marketing campaign to retain their Copa America crown.
The day after his birthday, he featured in a group-stage 1-0 victory over Chile earlier than beginning every of their knockout outings.
He wasn’t his typical prolific self within the latter phases, notching one aim towards Canada however failing to attain or help towards Ecuador and Colombia, whereas an damage noticed him withdrawn halfway by the ultimate.
Whereas it was clear to see that Messi is slowing down and couldn’t fairly replicate his devastatingly good performances from the 2021 Copa America or 2022 World Cup, he went on to silence any critics who’ve prompt he’s fully misplaced his contact.
Messi ended his first full Main League Soccer marketing campaign with the Supporters Protect – the trophy given to the aspect with the perfect common season file – and was inspirational for Inter Miami with 21 objectives and 10 assists from simply 20 appearances within the 2024 MLS season.
The veteran has not too long ago served up a reminder of his enduring high quality with a blinding man-of-the-match efficiency in Inter Miami’s Membership World Cup victory over Porto.
He scored the match-winning free-kick as Inter Miami got here from behind to win 2-1, the primary time in historical past an MLS crew has crushed a European aspect in a aggressive fixture.
Ronaldo, in the meantime, endured a fairly depressing yr as a 37-year-old – arguably the worst of his skilled profession.
It’s price allowing for, although, that Ronaldo was nonetheless enjoying on the prime European stage for many of his thirty seventh yr.
When he celebrated his thirty seventh birthday in February 2022, Manchester United had been licking their wounds after a shock FA Cup defeat to Championship aspect Middlesbrough.
That set the tone for a tough 12 months forward. They ended the 2021-22 Premier League marketing campaign in poor type and ended up an underwhelming sixth, though Ronaldo ended it with a decent 18 league objectives (24 in all competitions).
The next season, he struggled to see eye-to-eye with Erik ten Hag and sometimes discovered himself sitting on the bench.
He ended his sad second stint at Previous Trafford by terminating his contract in November 2022.
By the point he turned 38, he’d drawn his European profession to an in depth and signed for Saudi Professional League aspect Al Nassr.
However that was solely after a desperately disappointing 2022 World Cup. Whereas Messi ended up lifting the celebrated trophy out in Qatar, a 37-year-old Ronaldo struggled badly, notching only one aim and nil assists and discovering himself benched within the knockout phases.
He was substituted on throughout their shock 1-0 quarter-final defeat to Morocco, however he couldn’t flip the tie round.
Ronaldo notched simply 17 objectives in 45 appearances for membership and nation as a 37-year-old, a stark distinction to the close to goal-a-game common he’s boasted out in Saudi Arabia since turning 38.
We’ve crunched the numbers and in contrast how Messi’s stats on the age of 37 evaluate to Ronaldo’s.
Lionel Messi as a 37-year-old
Video games: 43
Minutes performed: 3378 ⭐
Objectives: 29 ⭐
Assists: 10 ⭐
Penalties scored: 1
Hat-tricks: 2
Free-kicks scored: 3 ⭐
Minutes per aim: 116 ⭐
Minutes per non-penalty aim: 120 ⭐
Minutes per aim or help: 86 ⭐
Cristiano Ronaldo as a 37-year-old
Video games: 45 ⭐
Minutes performed: 3356
Objectives: 17
Assists: 4
Penalties scored: 4 ⭐
Hat-tricks: 2
Free-kicks scored: 1
Minutes per aim: 197
Minutes per non-penalty aim: 258
Minutes per aim or help: 159
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