Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo may be the finest two players to have ever graced the sport, undoubtedly leading the rankings in contemporary football history.
Kylian Mbappe
has long been seen as the heir to their throne, having burst on the scene as a teenager and continued starring consistently across each level of football.
Now with 500 games under his belt, we have looked at how the Frenchman’s stats compare with the two icons of the game at the same time in their careers.
When considering minutes played, the figures are fairly close – Mbappe achieved 500 appearances after accumulating 38,409 minutes on the field.
Messi
ahead on 39,181, and
Ronaldo
slightly behind on 37,880.
Mbappe leads the line in terms of scoring for all three teams he has played for - Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid - as well as for France. His total stands at an impressive 1074 goals, slightly above Messi’s count of 1070, while Cristiano Ronaldo trails behind with 846 goals.
Mbappe also clears Ronaldo quite comfortably on goals scored by the player themselves. The Frenchman’s tally is 362, while Ronaldo was on 243, and Messi again topped the metric, with 386. If Mbappe’s goalscoring form continues at his current rate, he’ll be one of the best goalscorers in the history of the game when he retires.
Similarly skilled at setting up goals, this French player has contributed an impressive 145 assists, coming second only to Messi’s 153. In comparison, Ronaldo lagged behind with 99 assists after playing 500 matches.
So far in his career,Mbappéhas struggled with set-piece goals. Notably, he hasn't managed to score from a free-kick despite his success with penalties, which stands at an impressive 46 goals.
At the same juncture, Ronaldo had netted 27 free-kicks and 34 penalties, whereas Messi had managed 15 free-kick goals and approximately 50 penalty kicks.
If Mbappé were to incorporate free-kick goals into his repertoire, he would develop into a more versatile player. Additionally, headed goals do not form a significant portion of his scoring record—currently at 12. In comparison, the shorter statured Lionel Messi, who stands at 5ft5in, has scored slightly more with 14 headers, whereas Cristiano Ronaldo, known for his physical presence, reached 38 headed goals by the time he had competed in 500 matches.
Mbappe has clearly been the linchpin of each side he has played for, with his goals and assists per-90 tally at 1.336, which is just below Messi’s at 1.351, but ahead of Ronaldo’s 0.917 figure.
Ronaldo compensated for his relatively sluggish progression during the central stages of his career and keeps delivering when it matters most; hence, Mbappe must follow suit to solidify his position among the elite strikers in football history.
Here’s the full breakdown of how their records compare with one another after 500 games:
Kylian Mbappe
Games:
500
Goals:
362
Assists:
145
Team goals:
1074
Free-kick goals:
0
Penalty goals:
46
Headed goals:
12
Goals and assists per-90:
1.336
Lionel Messi
Games:
500
Goals:
386
Assists:
153
Team goals:
1070
Free-kick goals:
15
Penalty goals:
50
Headed goals:
14
Goals and assists per-90:
1.351
Cristiano Ronaldo
Games:
500
Goals:
243
Assists:
99
Team goals:
846
Free-kick goals:
27
Penalty goals:
34
Headed goals:
38
Goals and assists per-90:
0.917
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