[Video ]The Argentine magician Lionel Messi smashed Raul’s Champions league goals record and thus became the new record holder.
In the fifth round of the Champions League group F, Messi scored a hat-trick in the 4-0 win of Barcelona FC in Cypar against the APOEL Nicosia, which makes a total of 74 goals in the Champions League competition. Messi surpassed the Real Madrid’s striker Raul, who previously was holding the record with 71 goals. In the same match, Luis Suarez has scored his second goal in the Champions League and his first for the Catalan club in any competition.
AC Milan, Messi’s favorite
Lionel Messi the most goals scored in the Champions League against the Italian side, AC Milan, eight. Six goals scored Messi in matches against Ajax, Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen.
From 74 goals Messi has scored 38 goals at the Camp Nou, 34 away, and two on neutral grounds, in the Champions League final against Manchester United.
Messi’s magical night against Bayer Leverkusen, when he became the first footballer who in the one game of the Champions League has scored five goals is still remembered. This season, Shakhtar Donetsk striker Luiz Adriano equalled the same record against BATE Borisov!
Iniesta set up the most goals for Messi
Who helped the most to Messi in smashing Raul’s record ? Iniesta, who had assisted nine times for the Argentine striker. Danny Alves Messi set up seven and Xavi six goals.
In the last eight seasons Messi scored at least eight goals in the Champions League season. This season, after just five games he has seven goals on his account. The most goals in one season, Messi scored in the season 2011/12, 14, the record which last season Cristiano Ronaldo broke.
An incredible week for Messi – The top scorer in the history of the Primera and Champions League
Incredibly, it was only four days before that Messi became the top scorer in the history of the Spanish league after scoring three goals against Sevilla. That hat-trick brought Messi a total of 253 goals in Primera.
He broke the record of the legendary Baska Telma Zarra who for Bilbao scored 251 goals in 277 matches. Messi to score 253 needed 289 matches.
We are waiting for Cristiano Ronaldo’s response
The Portugese and Real Madrid star, Cristiano Ronaldo scored four goals less than Messi and his response is expected on Wednesday when Real Madrid is playing against the Swiss champion Basel FC.
This season, Ronaldo scored 20 goals in La Liga, where he is convincingly the top league scorer, but Ronaldo so far scored only three goals in the Champions League, four less than Messi and six less than the leading scorer Adriano from Shakhtar.
It is certain that Messi and Ronaldo will lead a big fight for the title of the top scorer in the history of the Champions League.
Messi about the record: “Achieving this record in a competition like this is a wonderful thing,” the four-time Ballon d’Or winner told reporters after the game.
“But, beyond that, it was a very important game. We were able to get the three points and that’s what really matters.
“We must continue as we are, meet the objectives of the beginning of the year and try to stay on this path.”
Champions league top scorers ever
74 – Lionel Messi (ARG)
71 – Raul (Spain)
70 – Cristiano Ronaldo (POR)
56 – Ruud van Nistelrooy (Netherlands)
50 – Thierry Henry (France)
48 – Andriy Shevchenko (Ukraine)
46 – Filippo Inzaghi (Italy) …