A better goal ratio than Ronaldo: The best stats as Messi hits 500

Lionel Messi reached the milestone of 500 career goals for Barcelona and Argentina against Valencia in La Liga on Sunday.

The 28-year-old’s strike at Camp Nou moved his tally for Barca to 450 goals, while he scored his 50th for his country with a penalty against Bolivia during last month’s international break.

With another career landmark reached, we look at the best Opta stats from Messi’s 500 career goals.

BETTER GOAL RATE THAN RONALDO

Messi’s career is constantly compared to that of his Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo, with fans of both players debating who should be considered the world’s best. 

Ronaldo has already reached the 500-goal milestone, but Messi has played in 159 fewer matches, giving him a better goal-per-game ratio.

Lionel Messi – 0.79 (500 goals in 632 games)
Cristiano Ronaldo – 0.68 (539 goals in 791 games) 

PARTNERS IN CRIME

Messi has been famed for his link-up play with Xavi and Andres Iniesta over the years, but it is actually full-back Dani Alves who has created the most of his goals.

Dani Alves – 42
Andres Iniesta – 33
Xavi – 31
Pedro – 25
Luis Suarez – 16
Cesc Fabregas – 15
Neymar – 14

LIFE BEGINS AT 40

Messi has scored at least 40 goals in all competitions for eight consecutive seasons. The last time he failed to reach that mark was way back in 2007-08, when he netted on 21 occasions.

2004-05 – 1 goal
2005-06 – 10 goals
2006-07 – 19 goals
2007-08 – 21 goals
2008-09 – 41 goals
2009-10 – 48 goals
2010-11 – 57 goals
2011-12 – 82 goals
2012-13 – 69 goals
2013-14 – 48 goals
2014-15 – 62 goals
2015-16 – 42 goals and counting

STRONGER AT CLUB LEVEL

Messi won an Olympic Gold medal with Argentina’s Under-23 team, but is still waiting for a first senior honourm having been a runner-up in the World Cup and Copa America over the last two seasons.

His goalscoring rate has been significantly better for Barcelona than it has for Argentina over his career to date.

Barcelona – 0.86 (450 goals in 525 games)
Argentina – 0.47 (50 goals in 107 games)

THE LATE, LATE SHOW

Messi has scored an astonishing amount of his goals late in matches. Over 25 per cent of his strikes have come after the 76th minute.

1-15 mins – 50 goals
16-30 mins – 79 goals
31-45 mins – 92 goals
46-60 mins – 70 goals
61-75 mins – 79 goals
76-90 mins – 129 goals
Extra time – 1 goal

HAT-TRICK HERO

Messi has scored three or more goals in 38 matches in his career – 33 trebles, a four-goal haul on four occasions and one match when he netted five.

That top performance came against Bayer Leverkusen in March 2012, when he scored five goals in a 7-1 victory in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, sealing a 10-2 aggregate win.

SOME LEFT FOOT

Messi has scored over 81 per cent of his goals with his left foot.

Left foot – 406 goals
Right foot – 71 goals
Header – 21 goals
Other body part – 2 goals

ATLETICO & SEVILLA HIS BEST OPPONENTS

Atletico Madrid and Sevilla are sick of the sight of Messi, who has scored more against them than any other side.

But Real Madrid have also suffered, with Messi’s 21 goals in El Clasico giving him the famous fixture’s goal record. He has netted against a total of 88 different teams.

Atletico Madrid – 25 
Sevilla – 25
Real Madrid – 21 
Valencia – 20
Osasuna – 19
Athletic Bilbao – 19
Getafe – 18

LIGA LEGEND

Messi has 309 goals in La Liga, more than any other player in the competition’s history.

HARD TO TOP 2012

An amazing calendar year in 2012 saw Messi score 91 times for club and country. He has not come close to matching that since, with his best post-2012 effort being his 58 strikes in 2014.

2005 – 3 goals
2006 – 12 goals
2007 – 31 goals
2008 – 22 goals
2009 – 41 goals
2010 – 60 goals
2011 – 59 goals
2012 – 91 goals
2013 – 45 goals
2014 – 58 goals
2015 – 52 goals
2016 – 26 goals and counting