#UCLfantasy: Messi versus Ronaldo

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been the UEFA Champions League's two most dominant players for over a decade; UEFA.com breaks down their goals in the competition and assessed their #UCLfantasy potential as we reach the competition's business end.

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UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GOALS BY SEASON

Messi and Ronaldo's #UCL goals by season©UEFA.com

The two leading scorers in UEFA Champions League history, Ronaldo leads the way on 124 goals compared to Messi's 108.

• Ronaldo holds the record for the most goals scored in a single UEFA Champions League campaign – 17 in 2013/14.
• Messi has not finished a UEFA Champions League campaign with a better goal tally than Ronaldo since 2011/12.
• Perhaps most significant for #UCLfantasy players, however, is the fact that Messi has been more prolific this season. He has scored eight times in the competition already – double that of Ronaldo – and is the current joint leading scorer alongside eliminated Bayern München forward Robert Lewandowski.

GOALS BY ROUND

Messi and Ronaldo's #UCL goals by round©UEFA.com

Now that we're in the thick of the knockout stages, we've looked at the pair's respective records in each round of the competition.

• Ronaldo has significantly outscored Messi in the knockout rounds, hitting the net 63 times compared to Messi's 42.
• When looking at quarter-finals specifically, Ronaldo has scored more than twice the goals Messi's has managed; 23 to ten.
• Looking forward, both players have scored in finals, with Ronaldo's tally of four standing as a UEFA Champions League record.

MESSI'S #UCL GOALS BY NATION

Messi's #UCL goals by nation©UEFA.com

Clubs hailing from 16 different nations have been on the receiving end of a Messi goal in the UEFA Champions League, but who have fallen victim to the Argentinian the most?

• The Barcelona forward clearly enjoys playing English clubs, as he has breached the net of Premier League opposition 22 times in his career, more than against any other nation. With the Catalan giants facing Manchester United in the quarter-finals, this is bound to prick the ears of #UCLfantasy investors.
• In fact, Messi has scored against the Red Devils on two previous occasions – the finals of 2009 and 2011.

RONALDO'S #UCL GOALS BY NATION

Ronaldo's #UCL goals by nation©UEFA.com

Ronaldo's UEFA Champions League goals have come against clubs from 15 different nations.

• Ronaldo's 26 goals against German opposition is the most that any player has scored against teams from one country.
• With Juventus travelling to Ajax on matchday nine, it should be noted that all seven of Ronaldo;s goals against Dutch opposition have come against the Amsterdam side. Five of those strikes were in Amsterdam's Johan Cruijff ArenA, including a hat-trick for Real Madrid in 2012/12.

#UCLFANTASY POINTS THIS SEASON

On top of Messi's eight goals in this season's competition, his three assists have contributed to a total of 52 Fantasy points – more than any other player. By comparison, Ronaldo has endured a topsy-turvy European campaign so far, with his four goals and two assists after a red card on matchday one. He currently sits on 32 points, but his hat-trick against Atlético Madrid in the round of 16 second leg suggests that, once again, he could deliver when it matters most.

#UCLfantasy tip
If you're struggling to fit both of these premium assets into your #UCLfantasy squads for matchday nine, then this could be a good time to make use of the Limitless Wildcard if you haven't already. This booster gives you the luxury of an unlimited budget for one matchday.