Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: Who has the most number of Champions League semifinal appearances?
Lionel Messi has fallen behind Cristiano Ronaldo and four other Real Madrid players to seventh on the list of players with the most Champions League semifinal appearances (via Diario AS).
Ronaldo leads the pack with the most UCL semi-final appearances at 21. The Portuguese star also has the most semi-final goals in the tournament's history, with 13. Meanwhile, Lionel Messi has scored six goals in the UCL semi-finals in 15 appearances.
One of Ronaldo's most iconic performances in the Manchester United jersey came during the 2008 UCL semi-final against Arsenal. The Portuguese bagged a brace, including a freekick scored from 35 yards.
Another iconic performance came against Athletico Madrid in the 2017 UCL semifinal while playing for Real Madrid. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a stunning hat-trick to seal a final berth for the Los Blancos.
Lionel Messi hasn't been far behind in showing his worth in the grandest stages. La Pulga scored an iconic brace against Liverpool in the first leg of the 2019 UCL semifinals. Although they lost the tie in the second leg, it will be remembered for Messi's iconic curling freekick in the 76th minute.
The Argentine also scored a memorable brace during the 2015 UCL semifinal against Bayern Munich. The second goal was an iconic chip over Manuel Neuer, taking Barcelona to the finals.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's Champions League records compared
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were serial contenders for the Champions League crown in their prime and have exceptional records to show for it.
With five titles in his career, Cristiano Ronaldo has the highest number of UEFA Champions League trophies in history. Meanwhile, La Pulga has won the trophy four times with FC Barcelona.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi also have the most goals and assists in the competition's history. The Portuguese leads the pack with 140 goals in 183 appearances, while Messi comes in a close second with 129 goals in 163 appearances. However, the Argentine boasts a better minutes per goal ratio with a goal scored every 105 minutes versus Cristiano's 114 minutes per goal ratio.
Regarding the UCL knockout stages, Cristiano Ronaldo comes out on top again with 67 goals and 15 assists in 85 games, while Lionel Messi has 49 goals and 12 assists in 77 appearances.
Messi and Ronaldo's incredible UCL stats are because of the exceptional runs that Barcelona and Real Madrid had in the UCL during their days at the top. During Messi's time at Barcelona, it became the only side in history to have won the treble (UCL, La Liga, and Copa Del Rey) twice in 2009 and 2015.
For Real Madrid, Cristiano and his teammates created history by winning the Champions League for three consecutive years, between 2016 and 2018.
If Real Madrid win next week's semifinal clash against Bayern, they will face the winner of Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final in Wembley for a chance to win their record 15th title.