Ex-players from Arsenal, Barcelona, and Chelsea lead the list of 10 individuals who have secured the highest number of victories versus their opponents.
Cristiano Ronaldo
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Undoubtedly, CR7 stands amongst the elite players in history, yet these particular 10 athletes appear to relish facing him.
After examining Ronaldo's career closely, these are the 10 players who have secured the most victories against him across both club and international matches.
=8. Pedro – 11 victories
Pedro first played against Ronaldo in the 2009 Champions League final, coming on for Andres Iniesta as a late substitute.
After claiming a triumph in that particular game, Pedro went on to claim 10 more wins over Ronaldo – with the majority of them coming in El Clasico battles.
Their most recent encounter took place in September 2020, resulting in a 2-2 tie between Roma and Juventus.
=8. Cesc Fabregas – 11 victories
In the 2005 FA Cup final against Manchester United, Fabregas secured his first victory over Ronaldo.
In total, Ronaldo faced the Spanish midfielder on 24 occasions throughout his career, but CR7 only managed to win seven of those games.
=8. Cherry Blossom – 11 victories
Considering Ronaldo managed to beat Koke in two Champions League finals, he probably won’t lose too much sleep over the 11 games that he lost against the Spaniard.
Now aged 33, the midfielder is still going strong for Atletico Madrid today and is now closing in on 700 appearances for the club.
7. Antoine Griezmann – 12 wins
Fairly speaking about Ronaldo, he managed to defeat Griezmann 13 times himself—including the Euro 2016 final.
Nevertheless, the Frenchman has often triumphed over his Portuguese rival. In fact, their most recent encounter saw France eliminate Portugal from Euro 2024 via a penalty shootout.
Since Griezmann has decided to retire from international football, it appears improbable that the two will face each other on opposing teams anymore.
6. Dani Alves – 13 victories
The Brazilian defender relished many intense showdowns against Ronaldo in El Clasico and usually emerged victorious.
In 30 matches against CR7, Alves emerged victorious in 13, secured draws in seven, and suffered defeats in 10. This constitutes quite an impressive performance history.
5. Xavi – 14 victories
During his career, Ronaldo faced Xavi in 28 matches yet managed to secure victory in just seven of those encounters.
On the contrary, Xavi had impressive stats against CR7, scoring an average of 1.75 points per match when they faced each other.
Given such a history,
It’s no surprise that Ronaldo was at odds with the Spanish midfielder back in 2015.
=3. Andres Iniesta – 16 victories
In the 2007-08 UEFA Champions League semi-finals, Ronaldo outperformed Iniesta, however, Iniesta promptly returned the favor by defeating him in the 2009 final.
Altogether, they faced off in 36 matches with Iniesta emerging victorious in 44.4% of these encounters. On the other hand, Ronaldo won against Iniesta 10 times.
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=3. Lionel Messi – 16 victories
The rivalry between Messi and Ronaldo supporters continues unabated, yet in terms of direct confrontations, the Argentine has the upper hand.
In 36 games against Ronaldo, Messi scored 22 goals and provided 12 assists. Whereas Ronaldo scored 21 goals and only provided one assist.
The Argentine wizard boasts a 44.4% win ratio over Ronaldo, whereas CR7 only managed to win 30.5% of his games against Messi.
However, the last time they faced each other in an official match, Ronaldo got the last laugh as Juventus beat Barcelona 3-0, thanks to a CR7 brace.
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2. Gerard Pique – 17 wins
Ronaldo once shared a dressing room with Pique at Manchester United, but the pair became fierce rivals after the Spaniard joined Barcelona.
Statistically speaking, Pique has a superior track record against Ronaldo compared to everyone else mentioned here. When they faced each other in matches, Ronaldo’s average score was just 0.97 points per game, marking his lowest performance against any player listed.
1. Sergio Busquets – 18 victories
Ronaldo has encountered Busquets in 38 different matches, which is more than any other individual player he has faced.
Out of these 38 confrontations, Busquets succeeded in winning 18, drawing 11, and losing only nine times. This is indeed an impressive statistic.
Actually, out of their past 12 direct confrontations, Ronaldo has won just one game. This must be incredibly frustrating for him when facing the Inter Miami player.
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