Lionel Messi claimed one more Golden Boot after ending the common 2025 MLS marketing campaign with 29 targets – however how does his Golden Boot haul stack up towards his era-defining rival Cristiano Ronaldo?
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has received his first Golden Boot since leaving Barcelona. Solely three gamers in MLS historical past – Carlos Vela (34), Josef Martínez (31) and Zlatan Ibrahimovic (30) – have scored extra targets in an MLS common season.
Ronaldo, in the meantime, has continued to win Golden Boots since leaving the European sport behind in 2023.
Right here’s how Messi and Ronaldo examine in terms of profession Golden Boots received.
Head To Head In La Liga – 2009 to 2018
Messi and Ronaldo spent 9 career-defining seasons as direct opponents for Actual Madrid and Barcelona between the years of 2009 and 2018.
It was Messi’s Barcelona who tended to dominate domestically throughout that interval, profitable six league titles to Actual Madrid’s two (Atletico Madrid briefly broke up their duopoly) – and he additionally received extra Golden Boots.
The Argentinian received his first profession Golden Boot for a league marketing campaign throughout Ronaldo’s debut season with Los Blancos. That was the 12 months his numbers went actually stratospheric, his 34 targets seven forward of closest challenger Gonzalo Higuain. Ronaldo completed third within the standings that 12 months on 26 targets.
Ronaldo would go on to win three Pichichi (La Liga’s Golden Boot), although, together with a career-best 48 league targets when Messi’s Barcelona received the treble in 2014-15.
The one participant to interrupt up Messi and Ronaldo’s Pichichi dominance was Luis Suarez, who was Barcelona’s prime scorer forward of Messi with 40 La Liga targets in 2015-16.
Lionel Messi – 5⭐ (2009−10, 2011–12, 2012−13, 2016–17, 2017−18)
Cristiano Ronaldo – 3 (2010–11, 2013–14, 2014–15)
Complete Golden Boots in Europe
Messi went on so as to add one other three Golden Boots following his previous rival’s departure in 2018, inevitably dominating Spanish soccer’s goalscoring charts with the absence of a worthy competitor. He’d made it 4 in a row earlier than he left for PSG in the summertime of 2021.
Not like Messi, Ronaldo can boast the excellence of profitable the Golden Boot in each league he’s performed in (bar Portugal when he was solely a fringe participant as a young person).
Ronaldo received the Premier League’s Golden Boot in 2007-08 and added the Capocannoniere award for Serie A’s prime scorer in 2020-21. However he missed out on the award to Fabio Quagliarella and Ciro Motionless in his first and third seasons in Italy, respectively.
Lionel Messi – 8⭐ (2009−10, 2011–12, 2012−13, 2016–17, 2017−18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21)
Cristiano Ronaldo – 5 (2007-08, 2010–11, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2020-21)
European Golden Sneakers
Six of Messi’s eight Golden Boots received in La Liga additionally resulted in him profitable the European Golden Shoe for probably the most targets scored throughout Europe’s main leagues.
The exceptions have been on the latter finish of his time in Catalonia. In 2019-20 he was outscored by Motionless and in 2020-21 he missed out to Robert Lewandowski, who broke the Bundesliga single-season report with 41 targets.
Ronaldo received the European Golden Shoe in 4 of his 5 Golden Boot wins – within the Premier League in 2007-08 alongside the three he received in La Liga.
The Portugal icon additionally completed nicely behind Lewandowski in 2020-21, whereas his 29 targets in Serie A have been one behind Messi’s tally in Spain that 12 months.
Lionel Messi – 6⭐ (2009–10, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19)
Cristiano Ronaldo – 4 (2007–08, 2010–11, 2013–14, 2014–15)
Golden Boots since leaving Europe
Messi solely made six MLS appearances in his first half-season following his arrival in 2023.
He would have been within the operating in his first full season, the place he notched 20 targets in simply 19 video games, however accidents and diminished gametime noticed him find yourself three targets behind Christian Benteke.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner performed extra in 2025, sustaining his better-than-goal-a-game common, to say his first MLS Golden Boot on the age of 38.
Ronaldo scored 14 targets in 16 Saudi Professional League appearances in his debut half-season at Al-Nassr, however even he couldn’t shut the hole after his opponents had such a sizeable headstart.
The veteran has received the Golden Boot in each of his full two campaigns out in Saudi Arabia, although, scoring 35 targets in 2023-24 and 25 targets in 2024-25.
Lionel Messi – MLS – 1 (2025)
Cristiano Ronaldo – Saudi Professional League – 2⭐ (2023–24, 2024–25)
Total Golden Boots In contrast
Messi was already forward of Ronaldo for whole profession Golden Boots, however his first as an MLS participant has seen him inch again to 2 forward of his previous rival.
We dare say they’ll be including extra to their respective tallies in 2026. Watch this house.
Lionel Messi – 9⭐ (8 La Liga, 1 MLS – together with 6 European Golden Sneakers)
Cristiano Ronaldo – 7 (1 Premier League, 3 La Liga, 1 Serie A, 2 Saudi Professional League – together with 4 European Golden Sneakers)
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