UEFA Champions League 2019/2020: Three players who set records on matchday three
The 28th season of the Champions League is in full swing, with matchday three having been completed with 16 fixtures played across different parts of the European continent.
The matchday served up a lot of action, drama and shock results and a total of 53 goals were scored in those 16 games, with some clubs taking one step closer to sealing qualification, while others are left with a mountain to climb.
The Champions League is the biggest stage in club football and it is a no-brainer that players go all out to make a mark in the competition, as a good performance in the Champions League goes a long way in cementing a footballer's legacy.
With the constantly evolving nature of football, there are always records up for grabs in the tournament and matchday three saw some players write their names into the record books by attaining rare feats.
In this piece, we shall be highlighting three players who wrote broke Champions League records on matchday three.
#1 Lionel Messi - The first player to score in 15 consecutive Champions League campaigns
Lionel Messi has always been destined for greatness right from when he wowed those within Barcelona's set-up with his performances in La Masia.
His talent level saw him gain speedy promotions to the senior team and he made his bow in the Champions League in December 2004 in a 2-0 defeat to Shakhtar Donestk and got off the mark a little over a year later in the 5-0 win over Panathinaikos in November 2005.
This was to be the first of 133 goals and counting and when he netted against Slavia Prague on matchday three, it meant the Rosario native had scored in every season since 2005, bringing his run to 15 consecutive campaigns which is longer than anyone else in history.
He had earlier shared the record with the legendary Raul Gonzalez, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema (who can equal him if he scores this season).
With the goal, he also equaled the former Spanish striker Raul as well as eternal rival Ronaldo in having scored against 33 different clubs and the return legs against Dortmund and Inter Milan would offer Messi the chance to go clear of the iconic duo.