Messi will be playing for PSG and needs 15 goals to break Cristiano Ronaldo’s record.
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Cristiano Ronaldo has been urging Manchester United to trade him, but he is unlikely to do so, potentially opening up a record-breaking window of opportunity for Lionel Messi in the Champions League.
The Portuguese superstar will be missing from the grandest European stages this season due to collective struggles at Old Trafford. The Argentine icon will be there with Paris Saint-Germain.
Having spent the majority of their careers competing against each other and currently sitting at the top two spots on the all-time goal-scoring chart in continental competition, could Messi steal a piece of history from Ronaldo in 2022-23?
How many goals must Messi score in the Champions League to overtake Ronaldo?
| Player | Champions League games | Champions League goals |
|---|---|---|
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 183 | 140 |
| Lionel Messi | 156 | 125 |
The 2022–23 Champions League group stage is set to begin on September 6, with PSG facing Serie A giants Juventus on the first night.
Messi will be hoping to play a key role in that game as well as the upcoming Group H matches against Benfica and Maccabi Haifa.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner currently has 125 Champions League goals to his name.
That is an incredible haul, but the fiery Argentine is still 15 Goals behind Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi has previously conquered Europe five times with Manchester United, and Real Madrid has found the goal post 140 times when standing shoulder to shoulder with the Champions League elite.
He will, however, not be playing in 2022-23 because his club, Manchester United, finished sixth in the Premier League last season.
When it comes to reducing the deficit on Ronaldo at the pinnacle of a remarkable goal list, Messi has a surprising opportunity.
He would not have anticipated a man with five golden balls to be missing from Champions League action despite being 37 years old.
Ronaldo’s desire to grace that form once more is said to have figured prominently in his thoughts as he pushed for a summer transfer away from Manchester, with the all-time great being linked with Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Napoli, and even PSG at various points.
Because no deal was reached, the Portugal international forward will remain at the club until January.
Chances of Lionel Messi breaking Ronaldo’s Champions League goal record in 2022-23?
Messi will play in six Champions League games as PSG seeks to ease their way into the knockout rounds.
If they make it all the way to the final on June 10, 2023, in Istanbul, a total of 13 games will be played.
Lionel Messi has never scored 15 goals in a single champions league season. It is possible for Messi to achieve this feat this season.
His personal best return in a single Champions League campaign is 14 (in 2011-12), and he has only reached double figures five times.
That makes it highly unlikely that Ronaldo’s record will be broken by next summer, but if anyone is capable of accomplishing the unthinkable, it is Messi, and it is safe to predict that he will be breathing down the neck of an old foe if another piece of sporting history remains out of reach.
