Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi slammed by Pippo Inzaghi in hilarious jibe
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have dominated the modern era and broken several long-standing goalscoring records between them. The pair have also won a combined 11 Ballon d'Or awards and are widely regarded as two of the greatest footballers of all time.
While Lionel Messi leads the all-time La Liga charts for goals as well as assists, Cristiano Ronaldo is the Champions League's all-time top scorer. Before the Portuguese talisman began a force to be reckoned with, it was former Real Madrid teammate Raul who was the UCL's top marksman with 71 goals.
Pippo Inzaghi is another player who was a prolific scorer in Europe's premier club competition. The Italian striker is regarded as an all-time great and notched up 41 goals in the UCL. Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, Inzaghi claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have made his goalscoring feats look rather ordinary.
“I am angry with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Because of them, it seems that Raúl and I have scored only a few goals in European competitions."
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's UCL journey
Cristiano Ronaldo is arguably the greatest player in the history of the Champions League and has won the competition a staggering five times with two different clubs. With 131 goals in 177 appearances in the UCL, Cristiano Ronaldo continues to set the standard in Europe and is still going strong at the age of 35.
On the other hand, Lionel Messi is second on the list of all-time top scorers in the Champions League. In 145 games, Lionel Messi has scored 117 goals and has lifted the UCL trophy four times in his career, one shy of arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
By winning the competition with Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo could become the first player in the history of the game to win the UCL with three different clubs. The Portuguese international will look to spearhead Juventus to a place in the quarterfinals in August, as they aim to overcome a 1-0 deficit against Lyon.
Additionally, Cristiano Ronaldo will also have to be in top form if the Bianconeri are to retain their Serie A crown. Led by Ciro Immobile, Lazio are just one point shy of Juventus and are aiming for an unlikely title victory.
With 21 league goals to his name, Cristiano Ronaldo is only behind Immobile in the Serie A goalscorers chart and will look to carry on from where he left off before the break.
Lionel Messi, on the other hand, has been in sublime form for Barcelona and leads La Liga for goals as well as assists. With 19 goals and 12 assists to his name so far this season, Lionel Messi has been invaluable to the Blaugrana, as they opened up a two-point lead over arch-rivals Real Madrid before the break.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have no shown no signs of slowing down and are expected to battle it out for several awards in the coming months, including the Champions League, European Golden Shoe and the Ballon d'Or.