Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo: Comparing their stats at the same age

Lionel Messi will blow out 35 candles on his birthday cake today.

The Paris Saint-Germain star strides deeper into the second half of his thirties and edges closer to that fateful day when he will sadly hang up his boots as he celebrates another lap around the sun this week.

However, for now, let’s keep things glass-half-full and use Messi‘s birthday as an excuse to celebrate an era in which himself and Cristiano Ronaldo have raised footballing standards to new heights.

While footballing purists might roll their eyes at the constant comparisons between the two superstars, the simple fact of the matter is that we’re merely making the most of truly unique circumstances.

Never before in the history of the men’s game have two players of such intergalactic quality not only shared similar positions, but also the same era in what has proven to be a titanic tussle.

Yet, through all the never-ending comparisons and umpteen-million attempts to settle the debate, there will always be one sticking point that makes putting the two players head-to-head so much harder: their age difference.

Whenever we compile lists assessing who has the most goals, assists, trophies and so on, there must always be the caveat that Ronaldo is two years older than Messi and boasts more career appearances.

So, yes, Ronaldo tends to come out on top for the most part, but just how much can you read into that when Messi could feasibly play catch up on his own timeline?

Sadly, things will never truly even out until both players call time on their professional careers, but the next best thing is to compare their statistics and records at identical age checkpoints.

That’s where Messi’s birthday comes in handy because it’s the perfect excuse to contrast his