Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: FIFA stats history compared - who has been better?

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have dominated the football scene for well over a decade, with a remarkable haul of 12 Ballons d’Or collected between them. It is not just in the real world that the Argentine and Portuguese superstars have enjoyed a duopoly, though, with their remarkable skill sets also allowing them to cement legendary standings in virtual realms.

FIFA players have sought to exploit the pace, power and goal-scoring attributes of two all-time greats for some considerable time, with their place towards the top of any EA Sports pecking order taken for granted, but how have their stat cards compared down the years? GOAL takes a look…

Cristiano Ronaldo FIFA stats history

Turning the clock all the way back to FIFA 06, with Ronaldo still 12 months out from his first 20-goal season at Manchester United – a run that has never been broken since – remarkable consistency on the field was beginning to be be mirrored off it in a gaming world.

A man with five Golden Balls to his name has only dipped below a 90 overall rating on his base card three times, while various mid-season upgrades have carried him to the peak of a 99 rating on a regular basis.

Ronaldo’s numbers have started to dip ever so slightly of late, as he edges into his late 30s, but he remains one of the very best in the business and an addition that no Ultimate Team player is going to turn their nose up at.

Lionel Messi FIFA stats history

Back in 06, Messi was still a starry-eyed youngster at Barcelona that was only just beginning to nail down a regular starting berth with La Liga heavyweights.

It did not take long for full potential to be both unlocked and recognised, with the South American’s FIFA numbers surging from 78 to 90 in the space of four editions.

He had overtaken eternal rival Ronaldo by FIFA 10 and has only dipped back below the Portuguese on two occasions since – when his own base card was still a stunning 93. In FIFA 23 - while he still betters Ronaldo - Messi's slow descent from the top began, following a slow start to life at Paris Saint-Germain.

Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi FIFA stats history: Who has been better?

Across the last 18 releases of FIFA, Messi and Ronaldo have become the Holy Grail in FUT packs – with that concept first introduced in FIFA 09 – and they appear to be in no mood to pass over their crowns to the next generation.

Others will inevitably scale similar heights at some stage, with ratings in the 90s forever up for grabs, but it is highly unlikely that two stars will ever shine as brightly for so long again.

Ronaldo does edge things slightly when it comes to cumulative stat scores heading back to FIFA 06, but that is because he is a couple of years older and burst onto a global scene sooner.

If total scores are added up from FIFA 10 onwards, by which time Messi was very much part of the elite, then it is an Argentine icon that takes top spot by eight points.

All in all, there is as little to choose between them off the field as there is on it, with their exploits set to live long in the memory of football supporters and gaming fanatics everywhere.