Lionel Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo: Complete Breakdown of the Clasico Superstars

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been rewriting the footballing record books once again this season.

As seems customary these days, not a month goes past without another goalscoring or assist record being toppled. Not just in La Liga either.

For those content to believe that all of the exploits of the best two players in world football are exclusive to the Spanish top flight, they only need cast a brief glance over the Champions League facts and figures to note that the same standards of excellence are in evidence against the best teams on the continent.

As we approach the second El Clasico of the season, Messi is enjoying the better current form, but there's little doubt that the first half of the season belonged to Ronaldo.

Let's delve a little deeper into the various aspects of their play this season...

Minutes Played

There's certainly no excuses for tiredness as far as Messi is concerned, despite only 49 minutes being played as a substitute this season.

Per FCBarcelona.com, a total of 3568 minutes at this stage of the season is hugely impressive.

Mere mortals only reach such totals for a whole campaign, and given that Barca still have a maximum of 19 games to go, and Messi will doubtless want to play every minute, we're likely to see 5000 minutes of game time by the end of the season.

By contrast, according to RealMadrid.com, Ronaldo has played 1749 minutes which equates to approximately half of the time of his contemporary. A startling statistic in itself. 

Pass completion

As each player gets older, one could conceivably expect their performance levels to drop off year on year.

However, like a fine wine, both players continue to mature superbly well and in many respects, actually improve.

Pass completion success is one such area with Ronaldo having his most successful season in this regard.

WhoScored note an 81.3 success rate in La Liga during 2014/15, which is his best return since being in Madrid. Squawka.com detail that Ronaldo's successful passes amount to 654 across the season.

Messi's 82.2 percent completion rate places him slightly above Ronaldo, but his 1313 completed passes per Squawka is slightly more than double.

It's frightening to think that completion wise, this is Messi's worst season in the last five statistically speaking. The figures paint a much truer picture of just how far ahead of Ronaldo he is in this regard.

Goals

"

In La Liga: Nov 22. 2014 Ronaldo 20 goals Messi 7 goals March 14. 2015 Ronaldo 30 goals Messi 32 GOALS King Leo.. pic.twitter.com/uSFUxXcrK1

— Leo Messi (@messi10stats) March 14, 2015"

There really should've only been one winner in the Pichichi after Ronaldo started the season in the goalscoring form of his life.

By the time of the Christmas break, Messi had scored 23 in all competitions per WhoScored, 15 of which came in the league.

Ronaldo's 32 included 24 in the league and at one point he was 13 goals ahead of Messi. But the turnaround since the Christmas break has been nothing short of astonishing.

So much so that with his two goals against Levante this past weekend, Messi now leads the race for the Pichichi.

Current, all-competitions, ongoing totals show Messi now has 43 goals with Ronaldo "only" on 39.

Assists

"

Neymar goal vs Villarreal. Messi's pass is unbelievable oh my God http://t.co/fLW4VWQZ7E

— Adrian (@MrPolo_) March 5, 2015"

As much a goal creator as goal scorer, Messi's contributions to the assists column have again been frequent and decisive.

Of the 18 detailed by WhoScored, surely the best has to be the astonishing pass to Neymar against Villarreal to all but seal Barca's passage into another Copa del Rey final.

Ronaldo has 12 by comparison to the Argentine. Given that the Portuguese is more noted for his striking exploits rather than playmaking, arguably Ronaldo's achievements here should be seen in the same context as Messi's.

Shots

Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images

This is another area where, at present, Messi is outstripping his great rival.

Real Madrid.com note Cristiano's total shots as 113 in all competitions whereas Messi, according to FCBarcelona.com, has 180.

It's somewhat surprising given that Ronaldo would perhaps be the more noted of the two for having a pop at goal from all distances.

Man of the Match Awards

When you look at just how many times both players have been voted as a particular game's best player, the stats look preposterous quite frankly.

However, it brings into sharp focus just how good both players are and moreover, how consistent they continue to be over the course of an entire season.

To date, and including the games from the past La Liga weekend, per WhoScored, Messi has been voted man-of-the match an astonishing 28 times from 39 games in all competitions.

Ronaldo has received the accolade 14 times in 36 games, but only once in this calendar year, which perhaps shows how he has fallen away after such a magnificent start to the campaign.

Bookings/Red Cards

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

Only one sending off between either player and Ronaldo received the same more out of frustration than malice.

Cordoba were the opponents and with the game slipping away from Real, Ronaldo lashed out after being held at a corner.

There can be no argument to the decision which saw the player banned for two matches. 

Paul White/Associated Press

Five yellow cards across the season is a reasonable return given the amount of attention Ronaldo gets throughout the course of a match.

Messi has just one fewer card and he too manages to keep his temper in check under often trying circumstances it must be said.