3 Cristiano Ronaldo records Lionel Messi has broken this season
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are the two most successful players in football at the moment. Both players have won a combined 12 Ballon d'Ors and have dominated the sport for over a decade.
The argument of who is the best between both players is one which will linger on among fans for years to come.
From the number of goals scored, trophies won, and individual records, Ronaldo and Messi are always going head-to-head.
Ronaldo has not been in top form this season. The Manchester United star has suffered a slow start with just three goals and one assist in 14 games.
On the flip side, Messi seems to have finally settled in fully to life in France with Paris Saint-Germain. The former Barcelona star has been in teriffic form this term, registering 11 goals and 12 assists across competitions so far.
Ronaldo's absence from the UEFA Champions League and his slow start this term has enabled Messi to close in on some of the Portuguese icon's records and also overtake some.
Without further ado, we shall look at three of Ronaldo's records the Argentine has overtaken this season.
#1 Most teams scored against in the Champions League (40)
Lionel Messi currently holds the record for scoring against most teams in the Champions League. The mercurial Argentine has scored against 40 out of the 44 teams he has faced in Europe's elite competition since making his debut in 2004.
At the start of the current campaign, both Messi and Ronaldo were tied on the number of teams they had scored against in the Champions League (38). However, the PSG forward overtook his rival when he netted in his club's 3-1 victory over Maccabi Haifa on September 14.
things.
Lionel Messi passes Cristiano Ronaldo for most opponents scored against in the Champions League -- 39 different teams.
🐐 things. https://t.co/iD5BmnosfX
He then went on to better this record when he netted the Parisians' only goal in their 1-1 draw with Benfica on matchday three.
#2 Most non-penalty goals
Ronaldo and Messi are two of the highest scoring players in football history. The Manchester United legend is the all-time goalscorer in men's football with 818 goals, while the PSG star has 785 career goals.
However, it is the former Barcelona captain who has scored more non-penalty goals. Both players were tied for non-penalty goals (671) at the start of the 2022-23 season, but the Argentine bypassed Ronaldo when he scored PSG's winner against Olympique Lyon on September 18.
Messi: 672
Ronaldo: 671
With his goal against Lyon yesterday, Lionel Messi surpassed both Pele and Cristiano Ronaldo for most non-penalty goals in the history of football.
🇦🇷 Messi: 672
🇧🇷 Pele: 671
🇵🇹 Ronaldo: 671 https://t.co/XOJliAKxhq
He currently has 681 non-penalty goals, eight more than Ronaldo, who has 673.
Both players have been prolific from the penalty spot, which has boosted their goal numbers. The former Real Madrid man currently has 145 penalty goals while the Argentine has 104 goals from the spot.
#3 Most goals from outside the penalty box in the Champions League (23)
Ronaldo's absence from the Champions League has given room for Messi to close the gap and overtake him on some records in the competition
The seven--time Ballon d'Ór winner recently surpassed his rival in goals from outside the penalty box in the Champions League (23). He is one goal ahead of Ronaldo, who has netted 22 times from outside the opposition box.
23 - Since his UEFA Champions League debut in 2004-05, Lionel Messi has scored more goals from outside the box than any other player in the competition (23, one more than Cristiano Ronaldo). Limitless. https://t.co/oBBISQfgEj
He achieved this feat when he scored PSG's fourth goal in the 7-2 thrashing of Maccabi Haifa recently.