Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo: Champions League records compared

The Champions League returned last week with 16 games, over two nights, stretched across an entire continent - but once again it was Lionel Messi who hogged the headlines.

Messi became the first player to score in 16 consecutive Champions League seasons with the opener in Barcelona's 5-1 rout of Ferencvaros, taking his tally in the competition to 116.

Messi now has daylight between him and his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who will be looking to score in a 15th straight Champions League campaign this term when he returns from self-isolation. Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema missed the chance to match the Argentine when he drew a blank in their defeat by Shakhtar Donetsk.

The Messi v Ronaldo debate, which has dominated world football for the last decade, has a few rounds left in it yet as Barca and Juve feature in the same group. Ronaldo will, however, miss the opportunity to reunite will his rival tonight after returning another positive coronavirus test.  They are due to meet again on December 8.

Here, Sportsmail looks at their mind-boggling Champions League numbers and records.

Who has scored the most Champions League goals?

Messi and Ronaldo are in a constant tug-of-war for records and individual accolades. When it comes to goals scored, Ronaldo is leading by 14 with the score 130-116 to Juve's former Real Madrid man.

Messi does have a better goal-per-game ratio though with a mark of 0.8 from 144 appearances while Ronaldo, who has played 170 matches, is on 0.76.

Messi has scored all of his Champions League goals for Barcelona, whereas Ronaldo has only reached 105 for one single club - Real Madrid. He also has goals for Manchester United in the competition.

Who has scored the most group-stage goals?

Tonight's encounter between Juve and Barca would have been the first time Messi and Ronaldo have met in the group stage, having faced each other five times in later rounds.

Messi has scored 69 times in group-stage matches, trumping Ronaldo’s tally of 63.

Not only has Messi scored more goals than Ronaldo in the tournament's early match-ups, he has also done it in fewer games. Ronaldo is the record holder for the most appearances in the group stages (89), while Messi (73) sits sixth in the chart.

Who are their victims?

Everybody has their favourites and Messi and Ronaldo are no different.

Messi has faced 42 opponents in Europe but he has a soft spot for Arsenal - helping himself to nine goals in six matches against them - with four coming in one game during the 2009-10 campaign.

He has also found the net on eight occasions against AC Milan and Celtic, seven times against Bayer Leverkusen and six against both Manchester City and Ajax.

Juventus star Ronaldo has played against 54 teams in the competition – facing 34 of them as a Real Madrid player – and his favourite team to score against is the one he plays for now (so no wonder they signed him!)

Ronaldo has scored more goals against his current employer than any other side after putting 10 past them.

Ronaldo does, however, spread it around more than Messi, recording seven against Borussia Dortmund, Ajax and Schalke, as well as six against APOEL Nicosia, Galatasaray and Malmo.

Who delivers the most knockout blows?

Ronaldo comes alive in the knockout stages having scored 67 goals compared with Messi’s 47

The Portuguese is the record holder for the most goals scored in Champions League finals with four, from six games. Next in line is his former Madrid team-mate Gareth Bale (three), followed by a string of players, including Messi, on two.

Ronaldo is one of seven players to score twice in a final - in 2017 for Real against Juventus - while Messi has never bagged a brace in the biggest game.

Three and easy - how many hat-tricks?

There is nothing quite like a Champions League showboat and it is safe to say both of these players have had their fair share.

Messi and Ronaldo have registered EIGHT hat-tricks each during their Champions League career so far.

Messi stands alone though as the man who scored FIVE goals in one game - Barca's 7-1 destruction of Bayer Leverkusen in the last-16 in 2011-12.

Ronaldo’s most notable treble came against Atletico Madrid as he single-handedly overturned a 2-0 first-leg deficit to fire Juve into the quarter-final in 2019.

But what about the ultimate prize?

Ronaldo has conquered Europe five times to Messi's four.

Messi was first to get his hands on the trophy when Barcelona beat Arsenal in Paris in 2006, although he missed the final through injury - and didn't celebrate.

He more than made up for his disappointment when he scored Barca's second in the 2009 Rome win over Man United to spoil Ronaldo's final game in red before leaving to join Real Madrid.

Messi went on to lift the trophy on two more occasions, scoring in a man-of-the-match display against United again in 2011 at Wembley before beating Juventus in Berlin four years later.

Like Messi, Ronaldo suffered mixed emotions during his first Champions League win in 2008 - scoring in normal time before missing in the penalty shootout as Man United and Chelsea went the distance in Moscow.

Following his then world-record £80m transfer to Real Madrid in 2009, Ronaldo had to wait five years for another final shot and scored the fourth goal of a 4-1 extra-time win over Atletico.

Ronaldo and Real beat Atletico again in 2016, on penalties, and this time he didn't miss - before his double against Juventus 12 months later and that win over Liverpool to complete three in a row for Madrid and five overall for him.