Lionel Messi surpassed one of his own Champions League records by scoring the first goal for Paris Saint-Germain against Benfica on Wednesday.
He has now scored against 40 different Champions League opponents, more than any other player. He had previously scored against 39.
Clubs that Messi has scored most in the Champions League
The PSG attacker has been particularly effective against Arsenal, scoring nine goals against the north London club. With 127 goals, Messi ranks second in Champions League history. Only Cristiano Ronaldo has more (140).
Ronaldo and Messi are far ahead of the competition’s next-highest scorers, Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski with 89 goals and Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema with 86.
He scored for the sixth time in six games for club and country. His longest such streak from December 2018 to February 2019. Cristiano Ronaldo hasn’t scored a non-penalty goal for Manchester United in ten games, dating back to April 28th. Lionel Messi has scored 10 non-penalty kick goals for PSG over that time.
Fans reaction to Messi’s goal against Benfica
One fan said, “The greatest there was the greatest there is the greatest there will ever be”.
Another tweeted, “I pity for people who actually hate Messi. You are missing out on watching the Greatest footballer there will ever be, you will regret not enjoying him when he retire”.
A third said, “Players would consider that many goals to be a successful career and this guy has 40 clubs scored against”.
Match Report
Messi’s goal put PSG up 1-0 against Benfica, but an own goal by Danilo Pereira levelled the score shortly before halftime. With the goal, the Argentine became the first player in Champions League history to score in 18 consecutive games.
Prior to the Benfica match, PSG had won both of its first Champions League group games, defeating Juventus 2-1 and Maccabi Haifa 3-1. Messi also scored against Haifa, which was his first goal against an Israeli team.
The PSG defence, on the other hand, was unable to hold off Benfica, as they succumbed to their blunders and scored an own goal less than 20 minutes later. While the original target for a well-timed cross was Goncalo Ramos, Parisian defender Danilo got a touch on the ball and pushed it into his own net.
