Amid one of the most difficult seasons of his career at Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo’s current anguish has been made worse by the threat Lionel Messi is posing on his prized Champions League legacy. Messi is shimmering in a dominant Paris Saint-Germain side this season, helping him grow ever closer to that illustrious goal record…
Ronaldo’s attempts to engineer a move away from United in the summer were fuelled by his desire to extend his lead at the summit of the Champions League goal standings. For the 37-year-old striker, it’s a record he will consider imperative to maintain in his bid to go down in history as football’s greatest-ever goalscorer.
But after his 18 Premier League strikes last season couldn’t inspire United to finish higher than sixth, he has been forced to watch Europe’s elite competition from the sidelines in recent months. And while he waits in the wings, featuring in the Europa League as a pass-time, Messi is making full use of his fiercest rival’s absence.
PSG, as they tend to do every campaign, have looked like contenders for the Champions League crown during the group stage. Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe’s electric form continued in Tuesday’s 7-2 mauling of Maccabi Haifa as the Ligue 1 champions continued their unbeaten start to 2022/23, winning all but four games in all competitions.
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The iconic Argentine notched two goals and assists a-piece, boosting his Champions League tally for the season to seven direct involvements. His fine form in Europe has contributed to 11 goals and 12 assists in 16 games in all competitions.
Messi now sits on 129 career goals in the Champions League, just 11 behind Ronaldo’s total of 140 from his time at United, Real Madrid and Juventus. As Messi shows no signs of simmering his extraterrestrial output, concerns could be creeping into Ronaldo’s camp over the prospect of losing his position at the top of the pack.
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