With Cristiano Ronaldo absent from the Champions League this season, will Lionel Messi be able to snatch one of his most important records?
The summer transfer period 2022 witnessed serious attempts by Cristiano Ronaldo to leave Manchester United, in order to get a chance to play in the Champions League.
But with Ronaldo not leaving Old Trafford, this gives his eternal rival Lionel Messi the opportunity to break his record as the most scoring player in the history of the Champions League.
Ronaldo will go to play on “Thursday Nights”, where Manchester United will compete in the European League, while Messi will be present with Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
It seems that the eternal rivalry between Ronaldo and Messi will not end until the duo writes the end of their career.
How many trophies does Cristiano Ronaldo have in his career?
With Ronaldo occupying the first place in the list of historical scorers in the Champions League, the Argentine is his direct pursuer, but can Messi surpass Ronaldo and snatch from him the title of historical top scorer in the Champions League during the 2022-23 season, “GOAL” is trying to answer ..
How many goals does Messi need to surpass Cristiano Ronaldo in the Champions League?
The group stage of the 2022-23 Champions League season begins on September 6, with PSG playing on the opening night against Juventus.
Messi hopes to appear in the best possible way in the Champions League, starting with the Juventus match, and during the Group H matches against Benfica and Maccabi.
Given the current situation, seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi has scored 125 goals in the Champions League.
Despite this astonishing scoring record, the Argentine is 15 goals behind Ronaldo.
“Madeira missile” managed to score 140 goals in the Champions League with Manchester United and Real Madrid, and during his career in the tournament, he won the title on five occasions.
With Manchester United ranked sixth in the English Premier League last season, Ronaldo will not play the tournament this season.
What are Messi’s chances of breaking Ronaldo’s scoring record in the UEFA Champions League in 2022-23?
Messi has an unexpected opportunity in terms of filling the gap with Ronaldo in the list of all-time top scorers in the Champions League.
Five-time Champions League winner Ronaldo was not expected to miss the competition, even though he is now 37 years old.
It is said that the desire to boost his numbers in the Champions League was the main motivation in Ronaldo’s thinking to leave Manchester United, who has been linked to several clubs competing in the tournament.
But with no agreement reached with the clubs he tried to join, Ronaldo will stay at Manchester United until at least January 2023.
While Messi will participate if he is not injured or suspended in six matches during the group stage of the Champions League, as Paris Saint-Germain seeks to easily reach the knockout stage.
How many trophies does Messi have throughout his career?
And if Paris Saint-Germain reaches the Istanbul final on June 10, 2023, Messi may participate in 13 matches during the new version of the European Champions League.
That Messi can score 15 goals in 13 games is possible, although he hasn’t been able to do so before in the Champions League.
Messi’s best goal record in the Champions League is to reach 14 goals during the 2011-2012 season, and he managed to score ten or more goals on only five occasions.
The numbers make it unlikely that Messi will surpass Ronaldo by the possible summer, but if anyone is capable of the unimaginable, it is certainly Lionel Messi.