Messi’s Champions League exploits fuelling Ronaldo’s transfer desire

Robin Bairner

• 26 Oct 2022 12:13 BST
• 3 min read

Lionel Messi’s sharp Champions League form with PSG is giving Cristiano Ronaldo all the more reason to leave Manchester United in the January transfer window.

Messi is up to 18 goals in the competition this season, taking him to 129 career strikes in European football’s premier tournament.

Ronaldo may lead the way in terms of career goals in the competition, but his mark of 141 is coming under threat from the Argentine, who now stands just 12 short of that figure.

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Meanwhile, the long-term prospects of the Portuguese seeing more action in the competition appear to be slim. His future at Old Trafford is bleak. Manager Erik ten Hag sees him as a bench player, and though Ronaldo has typically been a starter in Europe this season, the Red Devils are in the embarrassing position of playing in the Europa League. In any case, the Portuguese only has one goal in the competition – a penalty.

A January move to a Champions League outfit is the dream scenario for Ronaldo, but it is also an unlikely one. Potential knockout teams Sporting and Marseille have already distanced themselves from a move, while a deal with Europe’s truly big guns looks improbable at this stage.

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Messi surpasses Pele

Nevertheless, seeing Messi tear it up with PSG must be sore for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner. The Argentine has scored four times in his last three outings in the competition and shone against Maccabi Haifa on Tuesday, delivering two assists as well as a couple of goals. After a disappointing first season at PSG, he is already up to 11 goals this term.

It has been reported that Messi’s display means he now has the most goals and assists ever in world football, taking him one past the mark of Brazil international Pele, who reputedly had 1,126, although this figure is difficult to verify.

In any case, PSG are primed to go deep in the competition. A victory on matchday four against Juventus would likely secure top spot in the group, and a trip to the quarter-finals is the least that they expect. That would provide Messi with a further five games to close in on Ronaldo’s mark.

And Messi will be back in the competition next season to further chase the record. Ronaldo, meanwhile, faces a more uncertain path. He may already have played his last Champions League match. What is clear is that his present status at Manchester United is doing him no favours.