Sport Features

THERE’S no doubt about it, in this past decade we have witnessed two of the greats of football push each other to their goalscoring limits.
On Tuesday night, Cristiano Ronaldo, 36, scored his 20th league goal of the season as Juventus defeated Spezia in Serie A.

It’s the 12th consecutive season the Portuguese legend has managed to register 20-plus goals in a league campaign across Europe’s top five leagues.
But how does that compare to his great rival Lionel Messi, 33, who also has managed 20-plus goals in his last 12 campaigns – and is just one away from making 13 in a row.
SunSport takes a look at their numbers in the past years.
2008-09
The first time any one of these greats registered 20 goals came in Messi’s fifth season with Barcelona.

23 goals in 31 league games saw Pep Guardiola’s team roar to the title – some nine points ahead of nearest rivals Real Madrid.
It wasn’t enough for Messi to win The Pichichi Trophy – with Diego Forlan netting the most – an astonishing 32 goals.
Ronaldo, in his final season as a Manchester United player managed 18 Premier League goals.

Lionel Messi registered his first 20 league goals a season haul in the 2008-09 seasonCredit: Getty Images – Getty

2008-09 was Cristiano Ronaldo’s last year at Manchester UnitedCredit: Getty Images – Getty
2009-10
After his £80million transfer to Real Madrid, Ronaldo and Messi would go head-to-head for the first time.

Having the benefit of experience playing in LaLiga, the Argentine was top goalscorer in the competition with 34 goals in 35 games.
Ronaldo, who wasn’t even Real’s top scorer (Gonzalo Higuain managed 27), scored 26 goals in as many games. Ronaldo might’ve marginally had the better goalscoring ratio, but Messi had the numbers.

Ronaldo signed for Real Madrid in 2009 for £80m to ignite his rivalry with MessiCredit: Action Images – Reuters
2010-11
With Messi setting the bar, Ronaldo knew he had to record special numbers to defeat his rival in the goalscoring charts.
Astonishingly, he bagged 40 goals in the 2010-11 season – nine more than Messi managed.
Still, for all his efforts, Barça were champions once again.
2011-12
The numbers went astronomical in 2011-12, with both players reaching the peak of their powers.
Between them they managed an incredible 96 league goals, in a season where Jose Mourinho wrestled the title off Guardiola after three years of Barcelona dominance.
Messi hit a remarkable 50 league goals, while Ronaldo managed an equally impressive 46. Nearest to them was Radamel Falcao with 24, which was a measure of how far ahead the pair were of everyone else.

At the peak of their powers Ronaldo and Messi managed 96 league goals between them in the 2011-12 campaignCredit: EPA
2012-13
Barcelona reclaimed their title in impressive fashion – by 15 points in the end.
Messi, was of course, central to that with 46 in just 32 games and was top scorer again.
Ronaldo was second with 34 in as many games. Although he did finish top scorer in the Champions League that season.
2013-14
Injuries meant both Messi and Ronaldo didn’t play as many league games as they had managed previously.
The latter won back the Pichichi Trophy with 31 goals to Messi’s 28, but both both missed out on the LaLiga title, as Atletico Madrid were crowned champions.

Messi and Ronaldo’s fight to be crowned the GOAT continues to rage on
Again, it’s worth noting Ronaldo excelled in the Champions League – with 17 in a campaign that saw Real crowned European champions. It’s a record that’s not been broken.

Ronaldo landed the Pichichi Trophy for the 2013-14 seasonCredit: Getty – Contributor
2014-15
In one of the closest title races in years, Barcelona pipped Real by just two points in the end.
But Ronaldo amassed his highest ever league goal total – scoring 48 goals in 35 matches.
Messi’s 43 would’ve done it any other year, if the former Manchester United player wasn’t around.
2015-16
The top scorer mantle was passed on in 2015-16 to Luis Suarez – the first time it wasn’t Ronaldo or Messi in six seasons.
Messi’s 26 was his lowest since 2008-09, while Ronaldo’s 35 showed he was still on top of his game.
Again, Barcelona were champions by just one point in what was a nail-biting climax to the league season.

For the 2015-16 Messi had to share his goals with Neymar and Luis SuarezCredit: Corbis
2016-17
Despite recording his lowest amount of league goals (25), Ronaldo’s Real were champions for the first time since their 2011-12 season.
Messi, who had the presence of Suarez and Neymar around him, managed an impressive 37 goals.
However, he would’ve been frustrated to see Ronaldo’s lifting ANOTHER Champions League trophy.
2017-18
Domestically, Messi proved he was king again.
His 34 strikes helped propel the Catalans to the LaLiga trophy. Ronaldo’s 26 were an improvement from the previous season.
However, a new challenge was around the corner.

Messi proved he was the domestic king in 2017-18 scoring 34 times in the leagueCredit: AFP or licensors
2018-19
At 33, Ronaldo embarked on a new challenge and moved to Juventus in an £88million deal.
With his rival gone, Messi still continued to deliver – scoring 36 times in La Liga.
In his debut season in Italy, Ronaldo just passed the 20 goal threshold with 21 in 31. He finished a disappointing fourth in the Capocannoniere hunt.
2019-20
Ronaldo came back with a bang in 2019-20 – recording 31 goals in a campaign that delivered back-to-back league titles for his club.
It wasn’t enough to be crowned top scorer – with Ciro Immobile managing an amazing 36 – equalling a Serie A record of most goals in a season.
Messi ended his LaLiga campaign on 25, six less than Ronaldo, but as Pichichi Trophy winner.

In his second season at Juventus Ronaldo scored an impressive 31 Serie A goalsCredit: AP:Associated Press
2020-21
This season, with still plenty of games left to play, Ronaldo leads the Serie A scoring charts with 20 goals in his 21 games.
He beat Messi to 20 by a fraction, who has 19 in his 23 league games.

Even though they’re perhaps past their peak, the numbers still remain positive, despite current advesity.
Their clubs are trailing behind in their respective title races, which hasn’t helped their cause.
But who will finish on top? Messi or Ronaldo?

Cristiano Ronaldo sulks in Juventus dressing-room in unseen footage for Amazon Prime All or Nothing trailer More

LAST year, Elkan Baggott made his debut for Ipswich Town in the EFL Trophy against Gillingham.
The 18-year-old featured in a team of youngsters, standing out in defence as the League One side ran out 2-0 victors.

Elkan Baggott made his debut for Ipswich in the EFL Trophy vs GillinghamCredit: � Richard Calver – www.matchdayimages.com

And that would’ve, no doubt, filled his social media followers with joy.
Unbelievably, despite being a relative unknown, Baggott NEARLY has as many Instagram followers as his club!
Also, if you combine all the Instagram followers the usual starting eleven for The Blues has, it still wouldn’t reach Baggott’s count of 138,000.
HOW IT HAPPENED
In 2019, when Baggot signed scholarship terms with Ipswich his social media blew up.

All of a sudden thousands of Indonesians began following the talent on social media.
Why? Baggot, who was born in Bangkok, has an English father and an Indonesian mother.
It’s the latter heritage he has embraced, representing Indonesia at U19 level.
Having been brought up in the country, it’s who Baggot feels most loyal too.

Football-mad Indonesians are also keen to see how their new favourite footballer is faring in English football.

Baggott has a huge following in Indonesia

On Instagram Baggott has amassed 56,000 followers

Baggott has almost as many followers as his club Ipswich and more than all his team-mates combinedCredit: Alamy Live News
Which is why he has built a strong-arm of 138,000 followers – more than double that Ipswich’s most popular star on Instagram James Norwood, who has 19,000.
Ipswich Town have 84,000 followers themselves.
SOCIAL MEDIA HIT
Many of Baggott’s posts are liked over 10,000 times.
And when it became evident he was going to make his Ipswich Town well-wishers from across the globe wished him well.
But Baggott isn’t just popular on Instagram. On YouTube he’s getting plenty of traction too.
A number of videos featuring the teen’s talents and viewed (in some cases) hundreds of thousands of times.

In 2019 Baggott signed scholarship terms with Ipswich Town

Indonesian football fans are obsessed with his development and tune into his social media account to find out the latest on Baggott

Baggott has only played once for Ipswich – in the EFL Trophy win over GillinghamCredit: � Richard Calver – www.matchdayimages.com

Already an Indonesian U19 international, Baggott is set for a promising future in the game

However, it was an exclusive chat with the Indonesian FA that proved to be the most popular.
So far, that has been viewed unbelievably over a million times.
Should be become a full international, expect his social media numbers to swell even further.

Arsenal ace Mark McGuinness joins Ipswich on season-long loan deal More

THERE’S no doubt about it, in this past decade we have witnessed two of the greats of football push each other to their goalscoring limits.
On Tuesday night, Cristiano Ronaldo, 36, scored his 20th league goal of the season as Juventus defeated Spezia in Serie A.

It’s the 12th consecutive season the Portuguese legend has managed to register 20-plus goals in a league campaign across Europe’s top five leagues.
But how does that compare to his great rival Lionel Messi, 33, who also has managed 20-plus goals in his last 12 campaigns – and is just one away from making 13 in a row.
SunSport takes a look at their numbers in the past years.
2008-09
The first time any one of these greats registered 20 goals came in Messi’s fifth season with Barcelona.

23 goals in 31 league games saw Pep Guardiola’s team roar to the title – some nine points ahead of nearest rivals Real Madrid.
It wasn’t enough for Messi to win The Pichichi Trophy – with Diego Forlan netting the most – an astonishing 32 goals.
Ronaldo, in his final season as a Manchester United player managed 18 Premier League goals.

Lionel Messi registered his first 20 league goals a season haul in the 2008-09 seasonCredit: Getty Images – Getty

2008-09 was Cristiano Ronaldo’s last year at Manchester UnitedCredit: Getty Images – Getty
2009-10
After his £80million transfer to Real Madrid, Ronaldo and Messi would go head-to-head for the first time.

Having the benefit of experience playing in LaLiga, the Argentine was top goalscorer in the competition with 34 goals in 35 games.
Ronaldo, who wasn’t even Real’s top scorer (Gonzalo Higuain managed 27), scored 26 goals in as many games. Ronaldo might’ve marginally had the better goalscoring ratio, but Messi had the numbers.

Ronaldo signed for Real Madrid in 2009 for £80m to ignite his rivalry with MessiCredit: Action Images – Reuters
2010-11
With Messi setting the bar, Ronaldo knew he had to record special numbers to defeat his rival in the goalscoring charts.
Astonishingly, he bagged 40 goals in the 2010-11 season – nine more than Messi managed.
Still, for all his efforts, Barça were champions once again.
2011-12
The numbers went astronomical in 2011-12, with both players reaching the peak of their powers.
Between them they managed an incredible 96 league goals, in a season where Jose Mourinho wrestled the title off Guardiola after three years of Barcelona dominance.
Messi hit a remarkable 50 league goals, while Ronaldo managed an equally impressive 46. Nearest to them was Radamel Falcao with 24, which was a measure of how far ahead the pair were of everyone else.

At the peak of their powers Ronaldo and Messi managed 96 league goals between them in the 2011-12 campaignCredit: EPA
2012-13
Barcelona reclaimed their title in impressive fashion – by 15 points in the end.
Messi, was of course, central to that with 46 in just 32 games and was top scorer again.
Ronaldo was second with 34 in as many games. Although he did finish top scorer in the Champions League that season.
2013-14
Injuries meant both Messi and Ronaldo didn’t play as many league games as they had managed previously.
The latter won back the Pichichi Trophy with 31 goals to Messi’s 28, but both both missed out on the LaLiga title, as Atletico Madrid were crowned champions.

Messi and Ronaldo’s fight to be crowned the GOAT continues to rage on
Again, it’s worth noting Ronaldo excelled in the Champions League – with 17 in a campaign that saw Real crowned European champions. It’s a record that’s not been broken.

Ronaldo landed the Pichichi Trophy for the 2013-14 seasonCredit: Getty – Contributor
2014-15
In one of the closest title races in years, Barcelona pipped Real by just two points in the end.
But Ronaldo amassed his highest ever league goal total – scoring 48 goals in 35 matches.
Messi’s 43 would’ve done it any other year, if the former Manchester United player wasn’t around.
2015-16
The top scorer mantle was passed on in 2015-16 to Luis Suarez – the first time it wasn’t Ronaldo or Messi in six seasons.
Messi’s 26 was his lowest since 2008-09, while Ronaldo’s 35 showed he was still on top of his game.
Again, Barcelona were champions by just one point in what was a nail-biting climax to the league season.

For the 2015-16 Messi had to share his goals with Neymar and Luis SuarezCredit: Corbis
2016-17
Despite recording his lowest amount of league goals (25), Ronaldo’s Real were champions for the first time since their 2011-12 season.
Messi, who had the presence of Suarez and Neymar around him, managed an impressive 37 goals.
However, he would’ve been frustrated to see Ronaldo’s lifting ANOTHER Champions League trophy.
2017-18
Domestically, Messi proved he was king again.
His 34 strikes helped propel the Catalans to the LaLiga trophy. Ronaldo’s 26 were an improvement from the previous season.
However, a new challenge was around the corner.

Messi proved he was the domestic king in 2017-18 scoring 34 times in the leagueCredit: AFP or licensors
2018-19
At 33, Ronaldo embarked on a new challenge and moved to Juventus in an £88million deal.
With his rival gone, Messi still continued to deliver – scoring 36 times in La Liga.
In his debut season in Italy, Ronaldo just passed the 20 goal threshold with 21 in 31. He finished a disappointing fourth in the Capocannoniere hunt.
2019-20
Ronaldo came back with a bang in 2019-20 – recording 31 goals in a campaign that delivered back-to-back league titles for his club.
It wasn’t enough to be crowned top scorer – with Ciro Immobile managing an amazing 36 – equalling a Serie A record of most goals in a season.
Messi ended his LaLiga campaign on 25, six less than Ronaldo, but as Pichichi Trophy winner.

In his second season at Juventus Ronaldo scored an impressive 31 Serie A goalsCredit: AP:Associated Press
2020-21
This season, with still plenty of games left to play, Ronaldo leads the Serie A scoring charts with 20 goals in his 21 games.
He beat Messi to 20 by a fraction, who has 19 in his 23 league games.

Even though they’re perhaps past their peak, the numbers still remain positive, despite current advesity.
Their clubs are trailing behind in their respective title races, which hasn’t helped their cause.
But who will finish on top? Messi or Ronaldo?

Cristiano Ronaldo sulks in Juventus dressing-room in unseen footage for Amazon Prime All or Nothing trailer More

THERE’S no doubt about it, in this past decade we have witnessed two of the greats of football push each other to their goalscoring limits.
On Tuesday night, Cristiano Ronaldo, 36, scored his 20th league goal of the season as Juventus defeated Spezia in Serie A.

It’s the 12th consecutive season the Portuguese legend has managed to register 20-plus goals in a league campaign across Europe’s top five leagues.
But how does that compare to his great rival Lionel Messi, 33, who also has managed 20-plus goals in his last 12 campaigns – and is just one away from making 13 in a row.
SunSport takes a look at their numbers in the past years.
2008-09
The first time any one of these greats registered 20 goals came in Messi’s fifth season with Barcelona.

23 goals in 31 league games saw Pep Guardiola’s team roar to the title – some nine points ahead of nearest rivals Real Madrid.
It wasn’t enough for Messi to win The Pichichi Trophy – with Diego Forlan netting the most – an astonishing 32 goals.
Ronaldo, in his final season as a Manchester United player managed 18 Premier League goals.

Lionel Messi registered his first 20 league goals a season haul in the 2008-09 seasonCredit: Getty Images – Getty

2008-09 was Cristiano Ronaldo’s last year at Manchester UnitedCredit: Getty Images – Getty
2009-10
After his £80million transfer to Real Madrid, Ronaldo and Messi would go head-to-head for the first time.

Having the benefit of experience playing in LaLiga, the Argentine was top goalscorer in the competition with 34 goals in 35 games.
Ronaldo, who wasn’t even Real’s top scorer (Gonzalo Higuain managed 27), scored 26 goals in as many games. Ronaldo might’ve marginally had the better goalscoring ratio, but Messi had the numbers.

Ronaldo signed for Real Madrid in 2009 for £80m to ignite his rivalry with MessiCredit: Action Images – Reuters
2010-11
With Messi setting the bar, Ronaldo knew he had to record special numbers to defeat his rival in the goalscoring charts.
Astonishingly, he bagged 40 goals in the 2010-11 season – nine more than Messi managed.
Still, for all his efforts, Barça were champions once again.
2011-12
The numbers went astronomical in 2011-12, with both players reaching the peak of their powers.
Between them they managed an incredible 96 league goals, in a season where Jose Mourinho wrestled the title off Guardiola after three years of Barcelona dominance.
Messi hit a remarkable 50 league goals, while Ronaldo managed an equally impressive 46. Nearest to them was Radamel Falcao with 24, which was a measure of how far ahead the pair were of everyone else.

At the peak of their powers Ronaldo and Messi managed 96 league goals between them in the 2011-12 campaignCredit: EPA
2012-13
Barcelona reclaimed their title in impressive fashion – by 15 points in the end.
Messi, was of course, central to that with 46 in just 32 games and was top scorer again.
Ronaldo was second with 34 in as many games. Although he did finish top scorer in the Champions League that season.
2013-14
Injuries meant both Messi and Ronaldo didn’t play as many league games as they had managed previously.
The latter won back the Pichichi Trophy with 31 goals to Messi’s 28, but both both missed out on the LaLiga title, as Atletico Madrid were crowned champions.

Messi and Ronaldo’s fight to be crowned the GOAT continues to rage on
Again, it’s worth noting Ronaldo excelled in the Champions League – with 17 in a campaign that saw Real crowned European champions. It’s a record that’s not been broken.

Ronaldo landed the Pichichi Trophy for the 2013-14 seasonCredit: Getty – Contributor
2014-15
In one of the closest title races in years, Barcelona pipped Real by just two points in the end.
But Ronaldo amassed his highest ever league goal total – scoring 48 goals in 35 matches.
Messi’s 43 would’ve done it any other year, if the former Manchester United player wasn’t around.
2015-16
The top scorer mantle was passed on in 2015-16 to Luis Suarez – the first time it wasn’t Ronaldo or Messi in six seasons.
Messi’s 26 was his lowest since 2008-09, while Ronaldo’s 35 showed he was still on top of his game.
Again, Barcelona were champions by just one point in what was a nail-biting climax to the league season.

For the 2015-16 Messi had to share his goals with Neymar and Luis SuarezCredit: Corbis
2016-17
Despite recording his lowest amount of league goals (25), Ronaldo’s Real were champions for the first time since their 2011-12 season.
Messi, who had the presence of Suarez and Neymar around him, managed an impressive 37 goals.
However, he would’ve been frustrated to see Ronaldo’s lifting ANOTHER Champions League trophy.
2017-18
Domestically, Messi proved he was king again.
His 34 strikes helped propel the Catalans to the LaLiga trophy. Ronaldo’s 26 were an improvement from the previous season.
However, a new challenge was around the corner.

Messi proved he was the domestic king in 2017-18 scoring 34 times in the leagueCredit: AFP or licensors
2018-19
At 33, Ronaldo embarked on a new challenge and moved to Juventus in an £88million deal.
With his rival gone, Messi still continued to deliver – scoring 36 times in La Liga.
In his debut season in Italy, Ronaldo just passed the 20 goal threshold with 21 in 31. He finished a disappointing fourth in the Capocannoniere hunt.
2019-20
Ronaldo came back with a bang in 2019-20 – recording 31 goals in a campaign that delivered back-to-back league titles for his club.
It wasn’t enough to be crowned top scorer – with Ciro Immobile managing an amazing 36 – equalling a Serie A record of most goals in a season.
Messi ended his LaLiga campaign on 25, six less than Ronaldo, but as Pichichi Trophy winner.

In his second season at Juventus Ronaldo scored an impressive 31 Serie A goalsCredit: AP:Associated Press
2020-21
This season, with still plenty of games left to play, Ronaldo leads the Serie A scoring charts with 20 goals in his 21 games.
He beat Messi to 20 by a fraction, who has 19 in his 23 league games.

Even though they’re perhaps past their peak, the numbers still remain positive, despite current advesity.
Their clubs are trailing behind in their respective title races, which hasn’t helped their cause.
But who will finish on top? Messi or Ronaldo?

Cristiano Ronaldo sulks in Juventus dressing-room in unseen footage for Amazon Prime All or Nothing trailer More

THIS has to be one of the world’s most bizarre football tournaments.
Every year since 1971, Greenland’s best footballers come together to play in the Grønlandsbanken Final 6 – a week-long competition (the shortest in the world game) played in the Arctic Circle.

Greenland’s footballers compete in the week-long Grønlandsbanken Final 6Credit: Alamy

Over the course of a week Greenland’s football season is finishedCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Incredible landscapes surround the unforgiving playing pitchesCredit: Rex Features

Matches can take place on an ancient volcanic island, where icebergs are visible in the distance and whales can be seen coming up for air in the waters.
Incredibly, 10 per cent of Greenland’s population participate in the league.
However, the brutal and unforgiving plastic pitches, rock-hard because of the climate, see many of its stars suffering terrible injuries, including broken legs.
FOOTBALL IN THE ARCTIC CIRLCE
Greenland is as big a country as Germany, France, Spain and Italy.

But, unlike those football-obsessed nations, only 20 per cent of Greenland’s land is actually habitable. The rest is ice sheet.
There are very few grassy areas and for around nine months of the year it’s impossible to play football because the pitches are suffocated by 79 inches of snow.
Because of the challenging weather conditions, travelling is also often difficult – even in the summer – so organising games is a nightmare.
However, the people of Greenland won’t let logistics get in the way of enjoying their football.

The beautiful game is thriving here, and is still the country’s most popular sport.

The beautiful game is thriving in GreenlandCredit: Rex Features

There are 5,000 players in the country in the Arctic CircleCredit: Getty Images – Getty
There are roughly 5,000 players in Greenland, which is a remarkable 10 per cent of the population.
DISKO ISLAND
Qeqertarsuaq on Disko Island is a favoured spot for the Grønlandsbanken Final 6 – where teams including B-67 or G-44 will compete for the trophy.
In recent years, the volcanic island was recipient of an artificial pitch that has red flattop mountains the locals call The Grand Canyon on one side of it and a black sand beach on the other.
To get there teams have to sail to the island with their players.
There are eight sides that compete in the week-long tournament from all over the country.
They got there by winning regional qualifying matches that happen during July.
Qeqertarsuaq’s artificial pitch, though, is certainly an upgrade on what Greenland’s footballers had before.

Qeqertarsuaq on Disko Island is a favoured spot for Greenland’s football competitionCredit: Alamy

The artificial pitch is an upgrade to what was on offer beforeCredit: Alamy
LEG-BREAKER
Injuries are part-and-parcel of any sport.
But, the sort that Greenland’s footballers suffered – broken legs, kneecaps, noses, and arms would be more akin to the UFC and can be partly blamed by the conditions and the facilities.
Before 2016, the championship was played on pitches of sand and rock.
It kept the physios busy and the players expecting to get hurt.
“It was just basically a hard sand pitch,” B-67 captain Johannes Groth told CNN Sport.

Hard football pitches used to be the norm for Greenland’s footballersCredit: Rex Features

Players would get hurt playing on pitches of sand and rockCredit: Getty Images – Getty
“Sometimes there were big rocks so when you played hard it would hurt very much.”
Goalkeepers had it worse.
“In order to be a goalkeeper on those pitches you really had to give your full self,” ex-G-44 captain Johan Frederik Zeeb said.
“You had to have several layers of clothing to be a goalkeeper on dirt ground. You got a lot of scratches all over your body.”
THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGIN’
This year, plans are afoot to ensure Greenland gets Fifa status.
The Danish FA are aiding their plight, and the construction of more artificial pitches is ongoing.

Greenland is gearing up for Fifa status this year with six more artificial pitches in constructuonCredit: Alamy

The future of football in Greenland is brightCredit: Getty Images – Getty

“We have an agreement between the Danish Football Association and the Greenland Ball Games Union to develop football in Greenland,” Danish FA boss Jesper Møller revealed.
“It was our plan to build six full sized artificial pitches by 2021 but there are already 11 or 12. It has been a great success.
“It’s a long journey but we’ve started it. The future of Greenland football is bright.”

Man Utd set to block Bruno Fernandes from playing for Portugal over quarantine red list fears More

THERE’S no doubt about it, in this past decade we’ve witnessed two of the greats of football push each other to their goalscoring limits.
On Tuesday night, Cristiano Ronaldo, 36, scored his 20th league goal of the season as Juventus defeated Spezia in Serie A.

It’s the 12th consecutive season the Portuguese legend has managed to register 20-plus goals in a league campaign across Europe’s top five leagues.
But how does that compare to his great rival Lionel Messi, 33, who also has managed 20-plus goals in his last 12 campaigns – and is just one away from making 13 in a row.
SunSport takes a look at their numbers in the past years.
2008-09
The first time any one of these greats registered 20 goals came in Messi’s fifth season with Barcelona.

23 goals in 31 league games saw Pep Guardiola’s team roar to the title – some nine points ahead of nearest rivals Real Madrid.
It wasn’t enough for Messi to win The Pichichi Trophy – with Diego Forlan netting the most – an astonishing 32 goals.
Ronaldo, in his final season as a Manchester United player managed 18 Premier League goals.

Lionel Messi registered his first 20 league goals a season haul in the 2008-09 seasonCredit: Getty Images – Getty

2008-09 was Cristiano Ronaldo’s last year at Manchester UnitedCredit: Getty Images – Getty
2009-10
After his £80million transfer to Real Madrid, Ronaldo and Messi would go head-to-head for the first time.

Having the benefit of experience playing in LaLiga, the Argentine was top goalscorer in the competition with 34 goals in 35 games.
Ronaldo, who wasn’t even Real’s top scorer (Gonzalo Higuain managed 27), scored 26 goals in as many games. Ronaldo might’ve marginally had the better goalscoring ratio, but Messi had the numbers.

Ronaldo signed for Real Madrid in 2009 for £80m to ignite his rivalry with MessiCredit: Action Images – Reuters
2010-11
With Messi setting the bar, Ronaldo knew he had to record special numbers to defeat his rival in the goalscoring charts.
Astonishingly, he bagged 40 goals in the 2010-11 season – nine more than Messi managed.
Still, for all his efforts, Barça were champions once again.
2011-12
The numbers went astronomical in 2011-12, with both players reaching the peak of their powers.
Between them they managed an incredible 96 league goals, in a season where Jose Mourinho wrestled the title off Guardiola after three years of Barcelona dominance.
Messi hit a remarkable 50 league goals, while Ronaldo managed an equally impressive 46. Nearest to them was Radamel Falcao with 24, which was a measure of how far ahead the pair were of everyone else.

At the peak of their powers Ronaldo and Messi managed 96 league goals between them in the 2011-12 campaignCredit: EPA
2012-13
Barcelona reclaimed their title in impressive fashion – by 15 points in the end.
Messi, was of course, central to that with 46 in just 32 games and was top scorer again.
Ronaldo was second with 34 in as many games. Although he did finish top scorer in the Champions League that season.
2013-14
Injuries meant both Messi and Ronaldo didn’t play as many league games as they had managed previously.
The latter won back the Pichichi Trophy with 31 goals to Messi’s 28, but both both missed out on the LaLiga title, as Atletico Madrid were crowned champions.

Messi and Ronaldo’s fight to be crowned the GOAT continues to rage on
Again, it’s worth noting Ronaldo excelled in the Champions League – with 17 in a campaign that saw Real crowned European champions. It’s a record that’s not been broken.

Ronaldo landed the Pichichi Trophy for the 2013-14 seasonCredit: Getty – Contributor
2014-15
In one of the closest title races in years, Barcelona pipped Real by just two points in the end.
But Ronaldo amassed his highest ever league goal total – scoring 48 goals in 35 matches.
Messi’s 43 would’ve done it any other year, if the former Manchester United player wasn’t around.
2015-16
The top scorer mantle was passed on in 2015-16 to Luis Suarez – the first time it wasn’t Ronaldo or Messi in six seasons.
Messi’s 26 was his lowest since 2008-09, while Ronaldo’s 35 showed he was still on top of his game.
Again, Barcelona were champions by just one point in what was a nail-biting climax to the league season.

For the 2015-16 Messi had to share his goals with Neymar and Luis SuarezCredit: Corbis
2016-17
Despite recording his lowest amount of league goals (25), Ronaldo’s Real were champions for the first time since their 2011-12 season.
Messi, who had the presence of Suarez and Neymar around him, managed an impressive 37 goals.
However, he would’ve been frustrated to see Ronaldo’s lifting ANOTHER Champions League trophy.
2017-18
Domestically, Messi proved he was king again.
His 34 strikes helped propel the Catalans to the LaLiga trophy. Ronaldo’s 26 were an improvement from the previous season.
However, a new challenge was around the corner.

Messi proved he was the domestic king in 2017-18 scoring 34 times in the leagueCredit: AFP or licensors
2018-19
At 33, Ronaldo embarked on a new challenge and moved to Juventus in an £88million deal.
With his rival gone, Messi still continued to deliver – scoring 36 times in La Liga.
In his debut season in Italy, Ronaldo just passed the 20 goal threshold with 21 in 31. He finished a disappointing fourth in the Capocannoniere hunt.
2019-20
Ronaldo came back with a bang in 2019-20 – recording 31 goals in a campaign that delivered back-to-back league titles for his club.
It wasn’t enough to be crowned top scorer – with Ciro Immobile managing an amazing 36 – equalling a Serie A record of most goals in a season.
Messi ended his LaLiga campaign on 25, six less than Ronaldo, but as Pichichi Trophy winner.

In his second season at Juventus Ronaldo scored an impressive 31 Serie A goalsCredit: AP:Associated Press
2020-21
This season, with still plenty of games left to play, Ronaldo leads the Serie A scoring charts with 20 goals in his 21 games.
He beat Messi to 20 by a fraction, who has 19 in his 23 league games.

Even though they’re perhaps past their peak, the numbers still remain positive, despite current advesity.
Their clubs are trailing behind in their respective title races, which hasn’t helped their cause.
But who will finish on top? Messi or Ronaldo?

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