Goals and form in 2022
Across all competitions in 2022, Messi scored 31 goals and Ronaldo scored 24. The year of the World Cup. Messi crowned in Qatar; Ronaldo left United mid-tournament.
Context matters: by 2022 both players had reshaped their roles — Messi a deeper creator, Ronaldo a pure penalty-box striker — and the goal-volume gap reflects league strength as much as form.