Over the last few weeks, the competition between Lionel Messi and Ronaldo has tightened up with the Portuguese superstar putting on dazzling performances on a weekly basis. Messi started 2013 off slowly by his standards but has started to look more and more like the four-time Ballon D'Or winner. How did the two superstars fare in Week 27?
Messi: Heading into Tuesday's Champions League contest against Milan, many questioned whether Messi was able to step up his game in big contests. He proved his worth with two huge strikes that sent Barcelona into the quarterfinals. Both of his shots were taken from outside the box and featured his pinpoint accuracy. On the first strike he roofed the ball in upper left side corner while on the second strike he blasted a low ball into the lower right side of the goal.
On Sunday he added two goals and one assist in Barcelona's 3-1 win over Rayo Vallecano; he has now scored in a record 18 straight Spanish League matches. With 42 goals on the year, he has scored 47 percent of Barcelona's tallies and has contributed on 59 percent of the goals. With 10 games remaining he looks well on his way to surpassing the 50 goals from 2011-12.
Ronaldo: After a triumphant display last week, Ronaldo scored in Madrid's 5-2 victory over Mallorca. He played well, but with only 27 goals in 28 games Ronaldo is poised to fall well behind the 45 goals he scored in 2011-12.
Stats through Week 28 of the 2012-13 season
Messi:42 goals, 10 assists (7 goals, 2 assists in UCL; 2 goals in Spanish Super Cup; 4 goals in the Copa Del Rey)
Ronaldo:27 goals, 5 assists (7 goals in UCL, 1 assist; 2 goals in Spanish Super Cup; 6 goals in the Copa Del Rey)
Goals in 2013
Messi: 20
Ronaldo: 20
Edge: Messi's four goals trump Ronaldo's single tally.
Messi Leads 15-13 for the 2012-13 season.
Ronaldo has a 6-4 edge in 2013.
During week 5, both players earned a point for equally strong weeks. During week 10, neither earned a point for forgettable weeks.