The two aces share the top spot in the number of Ballon d’Or awards won so far, with the both of them having received 5 awards each.
While Messi has returned to Barcelona after a disappointing World Cup campaign, Ronaldo has begun a new chapter at Serie A club Juventus.
Since the start of the new campaign, the two players have continued their decade long exploits in the beautiful game, having already broken different records so early in the season.
Here we take a look at some of the records the two aces have broken so far in this campaign.
#1 Most goals in UEFA Champions League group stage (Messi)
Messi recently surpassed Ronaldo in the number of goals scored in the UEFA Champions League’s group stage.
The record was previously shared by Messi and Ronaldo, with 60 goals each in the competition’s group games.
The Argentine ace surpassed the shared record during Barcelona’s 4-0 win over PSV Eindhoven in September, as he scored a hat-trick to take his Champions League group stage goal tally to 63.
Messi now has 65 Champions League group stage goals under his belt, and the numbers are set to go higher as the stage continues.
#2 Most expensive player over the age of 30 (Ronaldo)
Portuguese ace Ronaldo made a shock exit from Real Madrid, moving to Italian giants Juventus this summer.
The former Manchester United man made the move for a staggering £105 million, setting the record for being the most expensive player over the age of 30 in history.
The age of 30 is usually the stage pundits and fans begin to consider the end of a player’s time on the field. However, a move to Italy at such a hefty price for a 33-year-old player proves that Ronaldo still remains one of the most valuable players in the game.
#3 First player to score against 37 out of the 40 opponents faced in LaLiga (Messi)
Lionel Messi has put his name in the books of LaLiga by becoming the first player to score against 37 out of the 40 different opponents in the league.
The Argentine set the record on September 2 when Barcelona faced newcomers Huesca. The game saw the Catalan giants thrashing their opponents 8-2.
Moments of individual brilliance from Messi resulted in 2 goals and 2 assists for the Argentine.
The goals saw the Barcelona talisman netting against his 37th LaLiga career opponents, a feat not achieved by any player before him.
#4 Player with the most prolific start for Juventus in 60 years (Ronaldo)
Despite his slow start in Serie A, Ronaldo was quick at adapting to life with Juventus, as he is now breaking records at the club.
Following his brace during his side’s 1-2 win at Empoli over the weekend, the Portuguese became the player with the best goal-scoring start for Juventus, with 7 goals in 10 Serie A appearances for the club.
The only player to have scored the same number of goals in 10 games was Welsh striker John Charles in the 1957-58 season.
In equaling the 61-year-old record, Ronaldo has beaten players like Gonzalo Higuaín, Carlos Tévez and Filippo Inzaghi, who all scored 6 goals in their first 10 Serie A fixtures.
#5 Player with most hat-tricks in the UEFA Champions League (Messi)
The Argentine ace has surpassed his Portuguese counterpart in the number of hat-tricks scored in the UEFA Champions League.
Ronaldo previously held the record with 7 hat-tricks in Europe’s top competition.
Messi scored his record-breaking treble in Barcelona’s 4-0 win over PSV Eindhoven in their Champions League opener.
The Barcelona talisman now has 8 Champions League hat-tricks, and yet another record under his belt.
#6 First player to score 400 goals in Europe’s top 5 leagues (Ronaldo)
Even in a game that saw Juventus drop points for the first time in the new campaign, Ronaldo managed to break a record.
During Juventus’ home draw with Genoa in Serie A, Ronaldo scored his 5th Serie A goal to become the first player to score 400 goals across Europe’s top 5 leagues.
The Portuguese had previously scored 84 Premier League goals for Manchester United, and 311 in LaLiga for Real Madrid.
#7 First player to reach 150 assists in LaLiga (Messi)
Messi is not only known as a prolific goal-scorer, but also as a selfless provider in the game.
It is no surprise the Argentine now holds the record for being the first player to reach 150 LaLiga assists in the 21st century.
While Messi scored a brace in Barcelona’s 8-2 thrashing of Huesca, he also sacrificed a potential 31st LaLiga hat-trick to give Luis Suarez a penalty.
The Argentine has the most assists in Europe’s top 5 leagues, and is followed closely behind by Cesc Fàbregas, Mesut Özil, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Dani Alves.
#8 First player to be nominated for the Ballon d’Or 15 times
While both Messi and Ronaldo have 5 Ballon d’Or awards each, the Juventus star is the only player who has been nominated for the award a record 15 times (between 2004 to 2018).
Barcelona ace Lionel Messi follows closely in second place with thirteen nominations (between 2006 and 2018).
The winner of the 2018 award will be announced on December 3 at the French capital, and it remains to be seen whether either of the two players will win a record 6th Ballon d’Or.
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