Champions League: The Top 10 Finishers By The Numbers

7. Christiano Ronaldo, Juventus
6. Lionel Messi, Barcelona

I could not resist putting these two together because just like that meme with that lady yelling at a white cat at a dinner table, you can not have a conversation about one without the other.

I will not go into a who is better than who between these two megastars. Aside from the fact that this is a site about the Premier League, comparing these two is actually apples and oranges from an analytic standpoint.

Let’s take this year…

They have a similar number in goals in their respective leagues. Ronaldo has 21 to Messi’s 19. However, the Argentine has 12 assists to Christiano’s two in league play. Messi’s npxG is nearly two goals higher. His npxG+xA, xGChain90, and xGBuildup90 are all significantly higher than the Juventus star.

In the Champions League, Messi and Ronaldo both have two goals in the competition. However, the Barcelona talisman has three assists as opposed to Ronaldo’s one. Messi has a npxG+xA/90 of 1.19 in the UCL, compared to Ronaldo’s .54.

The numbers suggest that these are two different players. One is more of a goalscorer and distributor while the other is a goalscorer. To determine who might be better, one will need to determine their own set of criteria. I am merely pointing out the numbers.

Messi’s goal conversion rate in open play is -3.05 and Christiano’s is -2.87.