We calculate the most productive players per year, comparing them to modern football standards.
The era of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo is over, but football fans will experience “phantom pain” for a long time to come. No one will be able to avoid comparisons to these legends in the years to come. Over the past 20 years, most seasons have ended in one way or another with a comparison of these two players: who performed better.
Last year, this question was not on the agenda. New heroes have appeared. But it’s still interesting to see how they look in the context of Messi and Ronaldo, if we hypothetically compare the age of the heroes in 2024 with the age when the Argentine and Portuguese were their peers. This interesting idea was proposed by ESPN. Let’s see which of Messi and Ronaldo’s peers have performed in 2024 every year of their careers, from ages 17 to 35.
17 years old
At the age of 17, Messi and Ronaldo began their professional careers. At this age, Lionel spent 70 minutes on the pitch and Cristiano 1080 minutes for Sporting. Last year, their 17-year-old competitor would have been Barcelona’s Lamin Yamal. And he probably would have beaten those guys in his age group. Yamal has played nearly 2,700 minutes, averaging 0.73 points per 90 minutes, which includes non-penalty goals and assists.
18 years old
Messi and Ronaldo spent an average of 1,373 minutes on the pitch, scoring 0.68 points per 90 minutes. Last year there were no comparable peers. Perhaps we can quote Warren Zaire-Emery from PSGwho played a lot and scored 0.14 points per game. But his stance isn’t as offensive as those guys.
19 years old
Messi and Ronaldo have already spent 2203 minutes here and would continue to tear the audience apart, as there are no comparable peers left. In the major championships, we find Deriza Douai, who plays in Rennes and PSG played about 1,700 minutes last year, scoring 0.47 points per 90 minutes.
20 years
Another mistake, probably. Messi and Ronaldo average 2130 minutes and 0.71 points per game. The closest player last year was 20-year-old Jamie Gittens of Borussia Dortmund, who scored 0.61 points per game after playing 1,626 minutes. But here we can also mention Savigno from Manchester City, who played almost 2500 minutes, earning 0.46 points per game.
21 years old
There is finally a player who has surpassed this pair at his age. This is Jamal Musiala from Bayern. He played 2,124 minutes, scoring 0.93 points per game. While Messi and Ronaldo had an average time on court of 2649 minutes and an average of 0.91 points. Musiala seems to compare very well to Lionel and Cristiano, combining the ability to dribble and score with the ability to see the pitch and develop strategically. Perhaps this is a sign that a similar future awaits him. But it’s too early to talk about anything. Moreover, in terms of performance, we can also note John Duran from Aston Villa, who has 0.99 points. But at the same time, he spent only 900 minutes there, which is not enough for objective analysis.
22 years old
Then there was a breakthrough. Messi and Ronaldo, having played an average of 2,776 minutes between them, scored 1.22 points per game. This is an excellent indicator. At this age in 2024, the only player who comes close is Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, who is averaging just over 0.9 points per game in 3,000 minutes played.
23 years old
Messi and Ronaldo played an average of 2,800 minutes, an average of 1.06 points per game. But there is one player who surpassed them last year. Bayern’s Michael Olise played just over 1,500 minutes but averaged 1.15 points per game. Among 23-year-old players who have played more than 2,000 minutes, only Bukayo Saka (0.81) and Charles De Ketelare (0.84) have exceeded the 0.8 mark.
24 years old
Messi and Ronaldo then reached their peak, where they remained for several more years. They played an average of 2866 minutes, scoring 1.30 points per game. It’s very difficult for the competitors here. But the adversaries are not weak. Among them is one of the main contenders for the 2024 Ballon d’Or, Vinicius. But he’s averaging 0.99 points per game in just over 2,200 minutes. If he had been the same age as Messi and Ronaldo in those same years, he would have definitely lost the fight.
25 years old
In 2024, no one has come close to the mark reached by Messi and Ronaldo at 25 years old. That’s 1.54 points per game with 2,782 minutes played on average between two players. What about 25 year old players? In principle, there are no such players. Not at any age. Lionel and Cristiano, 25, would statistically “unwind” any competitor from 2024.
26 years old
Here, of course, Messi and Ronaldo slowed down, but only in the context of themselves. They played an average of 2,926 minutes, scoring 1.20 points per game. Who was the best peer in 2024? Kylian Mbappé. But he only has 0.9 points per game. Christian Pulisic is next among those who have played over 2,000 minutes with 0.66 points.
27 years old
And once again, Messi and Ronaldo tear and throw. 3046 minutes on average for two and phenomenal indicators taking into account the time played – 1.38 points per game. Of course, no one will come close in 2024.
28 years old
It would be boring to continue to say that in the next age, Messi and Ronaldo have no equal. So there was some intrigue here. These two have done something great once again, averaging 1.22 points per game in 2,632 minutes. However, Barcelona’s Rafinha, who played 2361 minutes and scored 0.84 points, could easily compete with them. Deniz Undav from Stuttgart scored 0.96, Yoan Wissa from Brentford – 0.9.
29 years old
There is a high base effect here. Because Atlético’s Alexandre Serlot produced phenomenal numbers in 2024. He averaged 1.3 points per game while playing over 2,000 minutes. This is far better than anyone else last year. The only problem is that Messi and Ronaldo, at 29 years old, had an even more incredible year: 1.42 points per game on average in 2965 minutes.
30 years
The most successful 30-year-old last year was Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard. He averages a modest 0.66 points per game by the Giants standards we rate in 1900 minutes played. Messi and Ronaldo played 3092 minutes at this age and scored 1.11 points per game. You can’t get close to them.
31 years old
It’s a rare case that we have a player who has surpassed our pair. If only by a millimeter. In 2024, among all 31-year-old players, the best was Harry Kane, who played more than 2,500 minutes on the court and averaged 1.05 points. Messi and Ronaldo have a ratio of 1.02 in 2626 minutes. Very close results.
32 years old
And another success! Mohamed Salah averaged 1.14 points per game at Liverpool in 2024. And Messi and Ronaldo had 1.01 points at that age. It is not for nothing that the Egyptian is currently considered by many to be the best in the world. In the 32-year-old battle last year, he would have surpassed his peers Lionel and Cristiano.
33 years old
It’s hard to believe when you look at current Kevin De Bruyne at Manchester City, but among players aged 33 in 2024, he would be ahead of Messi and Ronaldo. They scored 0.78 points per game in 2856 minutes, while the Belgian had 0.88 points. Moreover, even Alexandre Lacazette, returned to Lyon, has 0.81 points.
35 years old
But then Messi and Ronaldo went back to their old ways. This is the age when Lionel spent his last season in Europe and Cristiano his last at Juventus. They averaged 0.86 points per game while playing 2,820 minutes. However, we will make an exception and involve an older player. You’ve probably already guessed that we’re talking about Robert Lewandowski. He has 0.88 asset points in 2024, and he still has years left. And he’s not going to stop.
Of course, all of these numbers and indicators are highly speculative. But they allow us to appreciate once again the extent of the talent and skill of Messi and Ronaldo. And realize how well they held the bar for many years, making us contemporaries of their peak.
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