Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo once again went eye-to-eye this weekend when both scored a hat trick for their respective sides, but who has been in better goal-scoring form since Ronaldo moved to Spain.
View: Gallery: Ronaldo Messi Hat Tricks Dismantle Oppponents
The former Manchester United star joined Real Madrid in August 2009 and has since scored 200 La Liga goals in 178 games for Los Blancos.
In so doing, he became the quickest player to score 200 league goals in Spain, bettering Telmo Zarra's record of netting 200 strikes 219 games.
Lionel Messi reached that same feat in 235 La Liga games, but started his life in Spain's top-flight aged 17. Ronaldo, meanwhile, moved to Spain when he was 24 already.
Messi has managed to score 202 goals over the last six seasons, compared to Ronaldo's 200, but the Argentine has played four more games.
This means Messi has outscored his rival by just two La Liga goals since 2009, while Ronaldo has a minimal better goals-per-game ratio.
Read: Why Messi Ronaldo Need Each Other
This season, Ronaldo has already scored 23 goals, while Messi sits on 13 goals, and the Portuguese is on track to break Messi's record of 50 goals at the end of the campaign.
If the Portuguese continues at this rate, he will score 60 goals this campaign.
Do you think Messi and Ronaldo strive each other to greater heights? Have your say in the comment section below.
