Lionel Messi entered this past week on fire.

He had left Cristiano Ronaldo in the dust in all competitions and was on his way to running away with his first Ballon d'Or in two years.

But would he continue his hot streak? And would Cristiano Ronaldo continue to slump as badly as he has in 2015?

Ronaldo must have been thrilled to get two opportunities to turn the tide on his rival this week. His first chance came in his favorite tournament, the Champions League, against Schalke 05, a team he destroyed last season.

He returned to his scoring form with a terrific finish in the first half when he headed in a Dani Carvajal crossed to give his team a 1-0 lead. It was his first goal in three games, and he looked like a man who had lifted a huge weight off his shoulders.

Not to be satisfied with just one goal, Ronaldo continued to push and had a few solid opportunities to add to his account. He would be denied time and again, but he did manage a tremendous assist when he split two defenders on the left flank with barely any space with which to maneuver and fed Marcelo for a tremendous finish.

Ronaldo would then get his second shot at glory on Sunday when Real Madrid visited Elche. Ronaldo had scored four goals earlier this season against the minnows, and he was undoubtedly hoping for a similar result on Saturday. But it was not to be. Instead, he settled for a goal on one of his nine shots at goal. It was still a promising performance from the superstar who is rounding back into top form.

Considering the way Messi was playing in 2015, this output by Ronaldo would be considered meager. But in his one game against Malaga, Messi floundered. Messi had 86 touches in the game and... no shots on target. He took one shot but managed to have no major offensive impact in a game that Barcelona was expected to win at home. Instead a 1-0 result left the team four points behind Real Madrid.

Calendar and Season Stats

Messi is still far ahead of Ronaldo on the year with 14 goals and nine assists in 12 games. Ronaldo on the other hand is still scoring under a goal per game in 2015 with six goals and three assists in 10 matches. That number, based on the superstar's last two games, should change in coming weeks.

In 2014-15, Ronaldo has now retaken the lead in the scoring race between these two. He has 38 goals and 15 assists in 35 matches while his great rival has 37 goals and 18 assists in 34 matches. Messi gets a chance to add to that haul with two games this week; Ronaldo only gets one match this week.

In Spain, Ronaldo now has 29 goals in 21 games; he is now on pace to put 48 goals. It would be a personal high for Ronaldo, but clearly, he is no longer looking like the player capable of destroying Messi's 50-goal record in 2011-12. Messi has 26 goals and 13 assists in 24 games in Spain. Despite Ronaldo's lead, he has only scored 21 goals in Spain from open play, while Messi has 24 goals from open play. Overall, Messi blows Ronaldo out of the water with 34 open play goals; Ronaldo only has 28.

Streaking

Ronaldo has now scored in two straight games after struggling with no goals in his last three. Messi's tremendous run comes to an end, but this is probably not the last we have seen of him in 2015.

Winner

Messi had climbed back from a 7-2 deficit in November to take a 10-9 lead last week. But with Ronaldo's two goals and one assist performance, he has now tied the contest at 10. Do not be surprised to see more ties down the line.

For a look at last week's installment, click here.