It’s almost as if North America was always going to be a little bit too easy for the greatest footballer of all time.
Closer to 40 than 30 and only a few months after leading his country to World Cup glory, Lionel Messi has set off on a new adventure after dominating Europe for 15 years. The now prominent Saudi frontier came calling in the wake of his Paris Saint-Germain exit, but Messi instead opted for the more familiar setting of Miami and the humble home ground of David Beckham’s struggling franchise.
Messi’s first appearances for the Herons came in the Leagues Cup where he made a typically electric start. That comes as little surprise to the rest of the football world though it’s unlikely he’ll garner any plaudits from longtime competitive rival Cristiano Ronaldo anytime soon.
The Al Nassr forward opened the floodgates for Saudi relevance and was quick to indirectly dismiss Messi’s move to the States. The apparently superior Saudi Pro League will soon kick off its most highly anticipated iteration, with Ronaldo hopeful of leading Al Nassr to glory.
His goal record in year one was more than respectable, but how does Ronaldo’s form compare to Messi’s quick start?
|
Player |
Domestic league goals |
Domestic cup goals |
International cup goals |
Total goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Cristiano Ronaldo |
14 |
0 |
1 |
15 |
|
Lionel Messi |
N/A |
N/A |
5 |
5 |
Ronaldo scored 14 times in his debut Saudi Pro League season, but his fine return failed to thrust Al Nassr to the title. While the Portuguese great scored his goals in just 16 games, he didn’t net in crucial outings against Al Hilal and Al Ittihad which Al Nassr lost.
Nevertheless, his debut season record of a goal every 102 minutes was a fine return. He’s since added to his total goals tally in the Middle East by scoring in his side’s 4-1 victory over US Monastir in the Arab Club Champions Cup. Al Nassr’s first game of the competition ended 0-0.
In comparison to Messi, the Argentine has featured just three times for Inter Miami – all in the Leagues Cup – and scored five times. He concluded his debut, which came off the bench, against Cruz Azul with a trademark free kick at the death to help his side to a 2-1 victory. Messi started the next two games and netted a brace in each to send Inter Miami into the round of 16 of the competition.
The 36-year-old is currently averaging a goal every 40.8 minutes out in the States, although the sample size is much smaller compared to Ronaldo’s. However, can you really bet against Messi continuing such a relentless scoring run?
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