Lionel Messi, the star player for Paris Saint-Germain, has surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo in the record for most goals scored in Europe’s top five leagues. He achieved this feat by scoring the second goal in PSG’s 3-1 league victory over Montpellier on February 1, 2023.
Lionel Messi has scored his 697th club goal, all of which were made in Europe’s top-five leagues throughout his senior career. He surpassed Ronaldo’s 696 goals in fewer games, requiring 84 fewer matches than the Portuguese player.
The ex-Barcelona player is now only four goals away from Ronaldo’s total of 701 club goals of all time. As Ronaldo has not yet scored for his new team Al-Nassr in a competitive match, it may not be long before Messi surpasses him. The 35-year-old player scored his 14th goal of the season for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in all competitions and has also contributed 14 assists in a total of 23 appearances this term.
🚨 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗗: Lionel Messi broke another record last night.
He is now the man with the most club goals in Europe’s top 5 leagues – 697. ⚽🐐 pic.twitter.com/vSzUR41jPs
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) February 2, 2023
Some people criticized the Argentine player after he didn’t perform at the same level he had before the World Cup upon returning to Paris. However, he has regained his confidence and will play a crucial part in his club’s pursuit of the coveted UEFA Champions League title.
Going into the Montpellier game, PSG had only won one of their recent four Ligue 1 games. With a strong desire for victory, they were without Neymar and suffered a setback when Mbappe was substituted in the 21st minute due to a hamstring injury.
Nevertheless, Messi stepped up and secured the win by scoring the team’s second goal in the 72nd minute, following Fabian Ruiz’s goal in the 55th minute. Montpellier attempted a comeback through Arnaud Nordin near the end of the game, but Zaire-Emery sealed the victory for PSG with a goal in injury time.
Five European records broken by Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi, the world-renowned soccer player from Argentina, has been considered one of the greatest players of all time. He has broken many records during his career, including five European records. Here are five European records that Lionel Messi has broken:
1. Most Goals in a Calendar Year: In 2012, Messi scored an astonishing 91 goals in a single calendar year. This record has yet to be broken and stands as the highest total of goals scored in a single year.
🔙 #TB to when Lionel Messi activated ‘god’ mode’ in 2012/13 season (all competitions):
🅿️ Games – 69
⚽ Goals – 91
🅰️ Assists – 22🏅Ballon d’Or
🏅Club World Cup
🏅Laliga Champion
🏅Laliga Top Scorer
🏅Laliga Player of the yearJust unbelievable 💙❤️💯 pic.twitter.com/kJuay3EEx4
— 𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕣𝔹𝕠𝕪 ⭐ 𝔻𝔸𝔻𝔻𝕐𝔹𝕆𝕀𝕀 🇳🇬❤️🦅 (@only1_DADDYBOII) January 27, 2023
2. Most Goals in La Liga History: Messi has scored an incredible 438 goals in La Liga, the top division of Spanish soccer. This is the most goals scored in La Liga’s history, surpassing the previous record of 323 goals held by Cristiano Ronaldo.
3. Most Hat-tricks in La Liga History: Messi has scored an incredible 36 hat-tricks in La Liga, which is the most of any player in the history of the league. This is an incredible feat, as it surpasses the previous record of 34 hat-tricks held by Cristiano Ronaldo.
4. Most Goals in a Single Club Season: Messi scored 73 goals in a single season for Barcelona in 2011-2012. This is the most goals scored by any player in a single season for one club, surpassing the previous record of 67 goals set by Gerd Muller in 1972-1973.
5. Most Assists in La Liga History: Messi has provided an incredible 176 assists in La Liga, the most of any player in the history of the league. This surpasses the previous record of 158 assists held by Xavi Hernandez.
Lionel Messi is one of the greatest soccer players of all time and his consistency in breaking European records is a testament to this. These five records are just a few of many that he has broken and it is likely that he will continue to break more in the future.