Goals and form in 2025
Across all competitions in 2025, Messi scored 29 goals and Ronaldo scored 41. Both still scoring at elite rates well into their late 30s — Messi in MLS, Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia.
Context matters: by 2025 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.