Lionel Messi overtakes Ronaldo’s Champions League record

FT Desk

14 Sep 2022 15:23 CDT
3 min read

Lionel Messi has overtaken Cristiano Ronaldo as the player who has scored against the most teams in Champions League history.

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Messi scored in the 37th minute of PSG’s match in Israel against Maccabi Haifa, levelling the scores after Tjaronn Chery’s opener.

This goal means that Messi has now scored against 39 different opponents in the Champions League.

He now is the outright leader in terms of players who have scored against the most clubs.

After his goal against Maccabi Haifa, Lionel Messi has now scored against 39 teams in the Champions League.#UCL pic.twitter.com/Fmdu0z7Xyk
— The Athletic UK (@TheAthleticUK) September 14, 2022

Messi overtakes Ronaldo

Ahead of the Maccabi match, Messi shared the record with Cristiano Ronaldo, who has scored against 38 different clubs.

Karim Benzema has scored versus 34 teams, while another Real Madrid legend Raul struck against 33 sides. Robert Lewandowski has scored against 31 clubs.

This wasn’t the only record Messi broke on the night. The Argentine also became the first player ever to score in 18 different Champions League seasons.

Messi had enjoyed a brilliant Champions League career, winning four titles.

He has enjoyed a fantastic start to the 2022-23 season with PSG, scoring four goals and delivering seven assists at the time of his equaliser against Maccabi Haifa.

This comes after a disappointing debut season for PSG last term when he only managed four Ligue 1 goals in the campaign.