Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are nearing the end of their long and unbelievably successful careers in football, which have seen them win the Champions League a combined nine times.
When the time comes to hang up their boots, they’ll almost certainly be the top two goalscorers in the history of the Champions League.
Ronaldo is currently the European Cup’s all-time top goalscorer with 140 goals in the competition. Messi is 12 behind him on 129.
Behind them are fellow veterans Robert Lewandowski and Karim Benzema, both on 86, but the two strikers are approaching their mid-30s, and it would be an incredible achievement for them to make up that ground at this stage of their careers.
It looks likelier that one day Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe would surpass them – especially when you consider that Mbappe has 29 more goals at 24 years old than Ronaldo did at that age.
However, it seems as though Ronaldo has surely played his last match in Europe’s most prestigious cup competition. After terminating his contract with Manchester United in December, he’s left the European game, instead going out to Saudi Arabia and earning bags of cash with Al Nassr.
“I’m not obsessed by individual prizes,” Ronaldo told Portuguese sports daily Record in 2019.
“The most important thing is to win collective trophies and help the team. The rest comes naturally.
“I don’t think all the time of beating records. I work above all to help the club and be at my best level.”
However, last summer The Athletic claimed that Ronaldo was desperate to leave United for a Champions League club. That move never quite materialised.
“After discussions, it is felt that a primary objective for Ronaldo wishing to depart is to spend the 2022-23 season at a Champions League club so he can cement his scoring record in the competition,” wrote United correspondent Laurie Whitwell.
Ronaldo, who is also the record-holder in terms of international goals scored, appears to have scored his last goal in the Champions League. He’s 38 now and the prospect of a move back to an elite European side looks increasingly unlikely.
But is he right to worry about Messi breaking his record? We’ve taken a look at the likelihood of it happening.
Can Lionel Messi eclipse Cristiano Ronaldo in the Champions League?
– It’s incredibly unlikely that Messi could break Ronaldo’s record this season. His best-ever season – at the absolute peak of his powers, when he scored 50 in La Liga and 73 in all competitions for Barcelona – was 2011-12, and that year he finished as the Champions League’s top scorer with 14. Scoring 12 more goals in the knockout stages alone would be a big ask.
– Since breaking through into Barcelona’s first team in 2005-06, Messi has averaged 7.8 Champions League goals per season. Keeping that up, it would take Messi at least one more season after this one to score 12 more goals and eclipse Ronaldo’s tally of 140.
– However, Messi’s goalscoring rate in Europe has dipped in recent years. He’s managed just 13 Champions League goals in the last three full seasons – three in 2019-20, five in 2020-21 and five in 2021-22. Messi has four from the group stages this year – but can he add to that in the knockout stages?
– Messi’s role at PSG has changed from what we were used to seeing at Barcelona and Argentina. He’s now more of a provider, with Kylian Mbappe way out in front as their top scorer with 39 goals in all competitions last season. In contrast, Messi scored just six league goals and 11 in all competitions – his lowest return since 2005-06.
– However, as we saw in the World Cup, Messi has definitely recaptured his old form. He was named the best player at Qatar 2022 and notched double figures for both goals and assists in Ligue 1. Don’t be surprised if he steps up on the biggest stage in club football once again.
– Over the years, Messi has scored 49 goals in 75 knockout Champions League appearances. However, he hasn’t made it past the last 16 in the last two years – will this year (versus Bayern) be different?
– It remains to be seen what happens beyond this season. Messi willl be 36 when his current contract expires at PSG this summer, and there are some reports he could leave for MLS club Inter Miami. However, PSG are reportedly keen for him to stay and have already offered him a new contract, while Barcelona have also stated their intentions to try lure him back. We’d be surprised if he’s not still playing Champions League football next season.
– All of this is assuming that Ronaldo return to the competition in a year or two. There are rumours that he’d join Newcastle United on loan should they qualify, but take those with a pinch of salt.
