Lionel Messi News: Champions League stats reveal that Messi has been let down by his teammates
What's the story?
Barcelona have always been reliant on Lionel Messi when it comes to scoring goals, but the Catalan giant’s over dependency on the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has been clearly indicated in last two season’s Champions League goalscoring chart.
Messi has scored 18 times over the past two campaigns in Europe’s elite competition, while clubs second highest goal scorer is the 'own goal' with 6.
In case you didn’t know….
Lionel Messi was once again on the headlines for all the wrong reasons, following Barcelona’s debacle at Anfield last Tuesday. The Argentine wizard failed to score the much important away goal at Liverpool’s backyard and as a result Barcelona were knocked out of the Champions League in the semi-final stage.
Messi received a fair bit of criticism from a section of Barcelona faithful and football pundits as he failed to make a mark when his team needed him the most. The 31-year-old prolific attacker looked a shadow of himself throughout the course of 90 minutes and missed three good chances to put the tie into bed.
Although, the Argentine wizard was still the standout performer for the Catalan giants as he created several opportunities for his teammates, but wasteful finishing from his teammates has cost him dearly.
However, apart from that blip at Anfield, Messi has been sensational for Barcelona this campaign. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has scored a staggering amount of 12 goals in just 10 games in Europe’s most prestigious club competition and single handedly carried Barcelona this far.
The heart of the matter…
Messi has racked up as many as 18 goals in the last two campaigns of the UEFA Champions League, while none of his colleagues made a significant contribution in order to bring the trophy back to the Camp Nou.
In fact, Barcelona’s second highest top scorer in the Champions League is the 'own goal' with 6 goals over the last two seasons.
Barcelona’s Champions League Scorers:
Messi - 18
Own Goal - 6
Dembele - 4
Coutinho - 3
Pique - 3
Suarez and Rakitic - 2
Digne, Alcacer, Rafinha, Malcom and Alba – 1
Ousmane Dembele is on the third place with four, while Gerrard Piqué and Coutinho are tied on three. These stats also perfectly summarize Luis Suárez’s poor run of form in the Champions League as he only managed to score twice over the last two seasons.
What’s Next?
Messi is expected to be in the starting eleven for Barcelona against Getafe in La Liga in their last home game at Camp Nou this season.