Argentine star Lionel Messi, striker for Paris Saint-Germain, managed to break a new record in the Champions League during his team’s 3-1 victory over Maccabi Haifa in the second round of the group stage.
Messi scored the first goal for his Paris side in the 37th minute of the first half after a perfect pass from his colleague Mbappe into the box.
With this goal, the Argentine became the first player to score in the Champions League with the most opposition, as he managed to score for 39 different clubs during his Champions League career.
39 – Lionel Messi became the first player to score against 39 different teams in the UEFA Champions League, more than any other player in the competition (38 for Cristiano Ronaldo). Traveler. #MACPSG#UEFA Champions League2022pic.twitter.com/fJQCVPtKqo
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) September 14, 2022
And the Opta network reported that Messi outnumbered the Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, who participated in the leaders with 38 teams.
While French striker Karim Benzema, a Real Madrid striker, finished third with goals against 34 different clubs.
Ronaldo is out of the Champions League this season due to his presence with Manchester United, who failed to qualify for the continental competition and were satisfied with the Europa League participation card.
Source: Opta