The Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo competition continued in Week 5 as both superstars had two big opportunities to continue showcasing their individual skills.

A week ago, Ronaldo had put up four goals in two matches while leading Real Madrid to two morale-boosting victories. Meanwhile, Messi had been the catalyst for two Barcelona wins in the Champions League and Spanish League, all the while scoring one goal and three assists.

Even by their standards, those are some terrific numbers. Could the superstars top themselves in Week 5?

Ronaldo got first dibs on making another breakout on Tuesday as Real Madrid hosted minnow Elche. Things got off to a rough start for Ronaldo and company, but his team rebounded and tied the game quickly after conceding an early penalty. Ronaldo was unfortunately the cause for the penalty conceded, though many questioned the call to begin with. But Ronaldo would get his vindication and it came with a grand total of four goals, including two penalties.

He had 63 touches in the match and completed 91 percent of his pass, a very high statistic for a man whose average pass success rate is 84 percent this season. That was a game in which he put 11 shots at the goal.

Ronaldo's second match this week was on the road in Villarreal at the Madrigal. It was a tough match for Los Blancos and many saw this as a major test for the team after it trounced three minnows in a row. But Ronaldo and company answered the bell rather well, though never comfortably.

It was not Ronaldo's best match. He saw the ball just 47 times (though he completed 93 percent of his passes), had only four shots on goal and only won one dribble (he won two against Elche). But true to form, the Portuguese star scored yet another goal (a HUGE one at that) to give his team a 2-0 lead that put the game somewhat out of reach. His goal came on the end of a brilliant counter, thanks to a tremendous pass from Karim Benzema. Some might claim that Ronaldo benefitted from his teammates' work, but there is no denying that he is a clinical finisher that puts the ball in the net when needed. And that is exactly what he did.

While Ronaldo was collecting two wins with Madrid, Barcelona struggled in its opener against Malaga. Messi was a virtual non-entity in the match despite completing 97 percent of his passes (he had a woeful 49 touches in the game, highlighting his lack of influence) and had just two shots on goal. WhoScored gave him a 6.9 rating for the game, his lowest of the season. More importantly, he was powerless to help his side score a goal and win a match away to Malaga. It is not a bad result, but certainly was not the best of Messi.

The best of Messi came this past weekend when the Argentine put up a whopping two goals and two assists in a 6-0 win over Granada. Like Madrid did against Elche, Barcelona looked comfortable sweeping away the minnow at home and Messi was at the forefront. His partnership with Neymar is continuing to grow and from the looks of it, this team will be lethal when Luis Suarez arrives. In the Granada game, Messi had 79 touches, completed 88 percent of his passes and took three shots. He scored his 400th and 401st goals of his career and was both playmaker and clinical finisher. Those who claim that Messi has changed his style of play were certainly proud to watch this game.

Verdict for Week 5: Messi held a 2-1 lead heading into this week (Week 2 was omitted since Ronaldo was absent from play). Messi had arguably the best performance overall of the weekend with his turn against Granada, but Ronaldo's four goals were a true rarity. More importantly, Real Madrid picked up six points (including a tough game over Villarreal) thanks to Ronaldo, while Messi was powerless in an equally difficult road game for Barcelona. Ronaldo picks up the win this week and is now tied 2-2 with his rival.