Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo: Comparing their stats at the same age

Lionel Messi will blow out 35 candles on his birthday cake today.

The Paris Saint-Germain star strides deeper into the second half of his thirties and edges closer to that fateful day when he will sadly hang up his boots as he celebrates another lap around the sun this week.

However, for now, let’s keep things glass-half-full and use Messi‘s birthday as an excuse to celebrate an era in which himself and Cristiano Ronaldo have raised footballing standards to new heights.