Kai Havertz's stats at 22 compared to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo re-emerge after Arsenal performance

Kai Havertz's statistics from when he was 22 years of age have re-emerged after Arsenal's FA Cup third round penalty shootout defeat to Manchester United.

Havertz started the FA Cup clash at the Emirates Stadium as Arsenal's central striker.

He won a penalty in the second half but appeared to be accused of 'cheating' by Harry Maguire, given there was little to no contact between the pair in the incident that resulted in the spot kick award.

The penalty was then missed by captain Martin Odegaard, who saw his effort well saved by United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir.

Havertz himself then saw his spot kick saved in the shootout to cap off a disappointing afternoon - which also saw him miss a golden late chance to win the game - for the Arsenal forward.

He was one of Arsenal's strongest performers in the early stages of the campaign and he has 10 goals to his name in all competitions.

But he has received criticism over recent weeks for his perceived lack of impact in games, and he has only scored three times since the beginning of December.

Manager Mikel Arteta defended Havertz after the match, telling reporters in his post-match press conference: "To him and to all of them, that I love them, that we all love them individually and as a team, they are a joy. What this team produces every three days is incredible regardless of what happens."

Havertz is now 25 years of age, and is beginning to enter what many might regard as his peak years as a footballer.

He arrived in English football at the age of just 21, signing for Chelsea in the summer of 2021 after two exceptional seasons with Bayer Leverkusen.

At the age of 22, Havertz had more goals and assists than Messi and Ronaldo at the same age - though he had played 33 more matches than Messi.

Image: Twitter/@LunihanV1

Now, however, the landscape looks significantly different in comparing the trio's records at Havertz's current age.

By the age of 25, Messi had 121 assists to his name, while Ronaldo assisted on 70 occasions. The Portuguese icon netted on 160 occasions, with Messi on 309 goals at the same period in his career.

Since he turned 22, Havertz has scored 39 goals in all competitions for Arsenal and Chelsea, meaning he now has 82 goals to his name.

He has, meanwhile, added 17 assists to his 30 marker aged 22 - dropping him behind Ronaldo and Messi in the statistics.