Ronaldo, Messi and the 20 highest international goalscorers of all-time

Few, if any players have dominated world football to quite the level Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi for just under the last two decades.

Both players have made the most extraordinary goal-scoring habits seem normal, such is the rate in which they both constantly deliver greatness. While the bulk of their genius has played out in club shirts, Ronaldo and Messi have also enjoyed some amazing moments on the international stage.

Ronaldo played a vital role in guiding Portugal to Euro 2016 glory, despite the fact he was actually forced to withdraw early from the final against France in Paris through injury. Messi finally ended his own silverware drought for Argentina when he helped La Albiceleste win the most recent edition of the Copa America.

Both stars were in action for their respective nations on Sunday evening as Messi equalled a record that had stood in Argentinian football for 81 years as he netted five goals in one game against Estonia. The stunning feat marked the second time Messi has netted five goals in a single game, but the first time for his country.

While this was going on in Spain, Ronaldo was helping his Portugal teammates put Switzerland to the sword by netting a brace as they toppled their Nations League opponents 4-0. Ronaldo's double takes his total tally for his country to an incredible 117 throughout his career.

Messi's five goals means he now moves up to fourth in the table of all-time international men's top goal-scorers. He has leapfrogged Hungarian icon Ferenc Puskás to crack the top four.

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As a result Mirror Football has laid out the table in full with Messi still having considerable distance to make up if he is to stand any chance of catching Ronaldo anytime soon.

20. Piyapong Pue-on - Thailand (70 goals)

=20. Abdul Kadir - Indonesia (70 goals)

=20. Stern John - Trinidad and Tobago (70 goals)

17. Kinnah Phiri - Malawi (71 goals)

=17. Kiatisuk Senamuang - Thailand (71 goals)

=17. Miroslav Klose - Germany (71 goals)

16. Majed Abdullah - Saudi Arabia (72 goals)

15. Neymar - Brazil (73 goals)

11. Kunishige Kamamoto - Japan (75 goals)

=11. Robert Lewandowski - Poland (75 goals)

=11. Bashar Abdullah - Kuwait (75 goals)

10. Pele - Brazil (77 goals)

9. Hussein Saeed - Iraq (78 goals)

8. Godfrey Chitalu - Zambia (79 goals)

6. Ali Mabkhout - United Arab Emirates (80 goals)

= 6. Sunil Chhetri - India (80 goals)

5. Ferenc Puskas - Hungary (84 goals)

4. Lionel Messi - Argentina (86 goals)

3. Mokhtar Dahari - Malaysia (89 goals)

2. Ali Daei - Iran (109 goals)

1. Cristiano Ronaldo - Portugal (117 goals)

Although Messi is slowly but surely working his way up the rankings, 31 goals still separate him from his long-term Ballon d'Or rival Ronaldo. The distance between him and third placed Dahari is significantly less and just four more strikes will see the Argentine enter the top three.

The World Cup later this year could provide the perfect setting for Messi to edge ever closer to Ronaldo and move up the table once again while chasing that elusive trophy that would surely cement his status as Argentina's greatest ever player.