Messi vs Ronaldo in 2016: euro won, copa lost.

2016 is the year their international fortunes inverted. Messi scored 59 to Ronaldo's 55 — his joint third-best year against Ronaldo's sixth — but the goals were not the story.

On 26 June, Argentina lost the Copa América Centenario final to Chile on penalties, again after a goalless 120 minutes, and again to the same opponent as the year before. Messi took Argentina's first kick of the shootout and fired it over the bar. Chile won 4–2 and Messi announced a brief international retirement. It was his fourth senior final and his fourth defeat.

Fourteen days later Ronaldo won his. Portugal beat France 1–0 after extra time in the Euro 2016 final in Paris, Éder scoring the goal; Ronaldo was forced off injured in the first half and watched most of his only major international triumph from the touchline.

He had already won one shootout that year. On 28 May he slotted the winning penalty in the Champions League final against Atlético Madrid as Real Madrid took their eleventh European Cup. He finished 2016 with his fourth Ballon d'Or, Messi second.

2016 is the cleanest illustration on this site of why trophies and goals answer different questions. Messi out-scored Ronaldo by 4 and finished the year having lost a second consecutive Copa América final on penalties; Ronaldo scored fewer, won the Champions League on a penalty he took himself and the European Championship with Portugal, and took the Ballon d'Or. Neither account of the year is wrong.