Ronaldo's World Cup opener went the other way. He finished without a goal as his side played to a goalless draw against Congo, leaving both teams on one point from the opening fixture.
The split results set an immediate contrast between the two stars at the start of the group stage. Messi walked off with a three goal night against Algeria, while Ronaldo's camp opened with a scoreless stalemate against Congo and no goals from its biggest name on the night.
Both matches came in World Cup opening fixtures, so each side still has the rest of the group phase to build on the first result. For now, the early numbers read three goals for Messi and none for Ronaldo after their respective debuts.
