Lionel Messi continues to defy his age, scoring four goals in Inter Miami’s stunning 7-1 victory over Montreal in the MLS.
The performance has reignited debate about his hat-trick rivalry with eternal foe Cristiano Ronaldo, with the numbers telling a fascinating story.
Messi now has 62 career hat-tricks to his name, sitting just four behind the 41-year-old Ronaldo, who leads with 66 in total.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has scored three hat-tricks for Inter Miami and a further three for Argentina since the 2022 World Cup, showcasing remarkable longevity at the very highest level.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, has not registered a hat-trick for club or country in over two years, meaning Messi has actually scored five hat-tricks since his rival last managed one.
Messi has also etched his name into World Cup history, becoming the oldest player to score a hat-trick at the tournament, breaking a record previously held by Ronaldo from 2018.
His World Cup hat-trick came in Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Algeria, with the first goal described as a long-range stunner and the third equally impressive.
Both legends share an identical tally of international hat-tricks, with Messi and Ronaldo each registering 10 or 11 at that level, making their global rivalry as tight as ever.
When it comes to efficiency, Messi actually holds the edge on a per-game basis, recording a hat-trick every 18.9 appearances compared to Ronaldo’s rate of one every 20.0 games.
Ronaldo does lead Messi in several key categories, including club hat-tricks with 56 to Messi’s 51, and holds a commanding advantage in perfect hat-tricks, having scored 10 compared to Messi’s zero.
Ronaldo also boasts nine four-goal hauls compared to Messi’s seven, and has scored 39 hat-tricks in European league football, five more than the Argentine’s tally of 34.
However, Messi holds a unique distinction that Ronaldo does not, having scored a hat-trick in a game directly against his rival, while Ronaldo has never managed the same feat against Messi.
With Ronaldo holding over 200 more career appearances and more than two years of seniority, the context around their numbers makes Messi’s per-game efficiency all the more remarkable.
Both men are deep into the twilight of their extraordinary careers, and whether Messi can eventually surpass Ronaldo’s overall hat-trick record remains one of football’s most compelling ongoing storylines.