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Cristiano Ronaldo And Lionel Messi Aren't In The Top Five Most Clinical Forwards Since 2012/13

Cristiano Ronaldo And Lionel Messi Aren't In The Top Five Most Clinical Forwards Since 2012/13

The five time Ballon d'Or winners might have been lethal in front of goal but not quite as lethal as you might have thought.

Ryan Sidle

Ryan Sidle

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi may be considered the best players in world football but when it comes to chance conversion the pair are actually well behind Wissam ben Yedder.

Since 2012 Ronaldo and Messi have won six of their 10 Ballon d'Ors between them, with the Juventus forward 4-2 ahead of his rival, and continuing their legacies as two of the best ever.

However as many goals as the pair have scored since then neither of them is in the top five for best conversion rates in Europe since the start of the 2012/13 season for players with 100 goals or more, with new Monaco signing Ben Yedder leading the way.

Messi's 275 goals, not including penalties, since the start of the 2012 season has him above everyone, even Ronaldo, on the list of top scorers but the Barcelona man takes too many shots to score his goals.

The Barcelona forward has a ratio of just 18.7% but it keeps him well above his main rival with Ronaldo as low as 13.5% conversion rate.

Considering their brilliance in front of goal you might expect the pair to be higher up but the fact they have so many chances is another part of how good they are.

Messi missed the first game of the La Liga season but will be back this weekend. Image: PA Images
Messi missed the first game of the La Liga season but will be back this weekend. Image: PA Images

Some of the names are hardly a surprise on the list but Ben Yedder topping the charts might shock some.

The former Sevilla striker, who makes the list by just six goals, was linked with a move to Manchester United right at the beginning of the season but nothing came of it.

Instead the Frenchman moved to Monaco for €40 million, with the Ligue 1 side activating his transfer release clause, whilst forward Rony Lopes went the other direction for €20 million.

Messi and Ronaldo won't have too long to see if they can improve on their finishing.

The Barca forward missed the opening week of the season with an injury, as the Catalan giants lost to Athletic Bilbao, but returns to the squad to face Real Betis on Sunday.

Serie A gets underway this weekend and Ronaldo will be hoping to lead Juventus to another title win, as they start the campaign against Parma.

Who will score more goals between the pair this season?

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Topics: Football News, Wissam Ben Yedder, Mauro Icardi, Barcelona, Serie A, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Romelu Lukaku, Juventus, Alexandre Lacazette, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Spain, Edinson Cavani, Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid, La Liga, Italy