Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and the top 10 European goalscorers of the last decade

The battle between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to be defined as the 'greatest of all-time' has been a fascinating watch over the years.

There is an argument to made for both and the duo have, by far, been the two outstanding players, especially across the last decade. In actual fact, either Messi or Ronaldo have won the Ballon d'Or in nine of the last ten seasons with Luka Modric the only exception back in 2018.

It is no surprise that the pair top the charts of the highest goalscorers across the top five European league's since the start of the 2012/13 campaign. So, with that in mind, here is a look at the top 10 on that list with Messi and Ronaldo unsurprisingly next to each other as first and second.

The Belgium international first broke onto the scene while on loan at West Bromwich Albion in 2012 and quickly established himself as one of the most dangerous Premier League forwards. Lukaku then left Chelsea on a permanent deal to join Everton two years' later, before enjoying a spell at Manchester United.

He cemented his place in the division's '100 club', having scored 113 goals in 240 matches. After a two-year stint at Inter Milan, where he won the Serie A title, Lukaku returned to Chelsea last summer. But he has since struggled for form, netting just eight times in the league.

This could be just the second time since 2007 where the Ballon d'Or is not awarded to one of Messi or Ronaldo due to the exceptional form of Benzema. The 34-year-old scored 44 goals in 46 games last season and helped Real Madrid to win the Champions League by beating Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool on route to the trophy.

However, Benzema has also produced remarkable figures over the past decade too