Barcelona ace Raphinha joins Cristiano Ronaldo in achieving unique feat after hat-trick against Bayern Munich
Barcelona forward Raphinha joined Cristiano Ronaldo and two others to become the fourth player to score a hat-trick against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League. The Bavarian giants were trashed 4-1 by La Blaugrana in Round 3 at Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc on Wednesday (October 23).
Several pundits saw the game as Hansi Flick's first big test since joining Barcelona in July 2024. The German tactician passed with flying colors, helping Barcelona defeat his former club for the first time in nine years.
Raphinha scored his first goal merely seconds after kick-off (1') after an inch-perfect through ball from Fermin Lopez left him one-on-one with Manuel Neuer. Marc Casado delivered a perfectly measured long ball to help Raphinha bag his second goal right before the half-time whistle (45').
His final goal came in the 56th minute after an electric counterattack was mounted by Pedri and Lamine Yamal, leaving the Brazilian with just the goalkeeper to beat.
Before this, Roy Makaay, Sergio Aguero, and Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo were the only players to have scored a hat-trick against Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Playing for Real Madrid, Ronaldo bagged his hat-trick against the Bundesliga giants during the second leg of the UEFA Champions League 2016-17 quarter-finals. Ronaldo scored his first goal in the 76th minute to tie the game 3-3 (on aggregate) at the Santiago Bernabeu after 90 minutes.
The Ronaldo-onslaught began in the extra time as he scored two more goals within just six minutes. The match ended with Real Madrid winning 6-3 on aggregate. Los Blancos went on to win the Champions League that season after beating Juventus 4-1 in the final.
Dimitar Berbatov hails ex-Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi as the best UCL player ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo
Manchester United legend Dimitar Berbatov picked Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo as the best Champions League player. During a recent quick-fire question-and-answer session ahead of Matchday 3 of the Champions League 2024-25, Berbatov was asked to name the best UCL players from the 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s.
Talking about the best player from the 2010s, the Bulgarian marksman went with the former Barcelona maestro instead of Ronaldo (via @ChampionsLeague on X).
"Messi and Ronaldo, but I’ll go for Messi," Berbatov said.
Both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo boast exceptional records in the Champions League. While Messi has won four UCL titles (three, according to UEFA's official website), Ronaldo has five.
Ronaldo is the highest goalscorer in the competition with 140 goals and 48 assists in 183 games. Messi, meanwhile, comes second with 129 goals and 45 assists in 163 matches.