The short answer: Cristiano Ronaldo. The long answer needs context — because Messi is the all-time top scorer in La Liga and has the highest single-club total in history.
Ronaldo leads total career goals by roughly 70 thanks to longer top-flight tenure across four leagues plus the Saudi Pro League.
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Ronaldo has played top-flight football in four major European leagues — Portugal, England, Spain and Italy — plus a high-volume Saudi Pro League chapter where he has averaged better than a goal a game in his late 30s.
He also has 135+ international goals, the men's record by a clear margin, padded further by Portugal's frequent qualification campaigns.
Messi scored 672 goals for Barcelona — more goals for a single club than any player in football history. He is the all-time top scorer in La Liga (474) and holds the single-season record (50 in 2011/12).
He has done it almost exclusively at the elite end of European football, in two highly competitive leagues plus MLS.
Ronaldo, with 920+ career goals compared with Messi's 850+.
Messi, with 474 — the all-time La Liga record by more than 130 goals.
Ronaldo, with 135+ goals for Portugal — the all-time men's international scoring record.
Ronaldo, with 140+ — the competition's all-time top scorer.
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