Messi beats Raúl's group stage record and closes in on Cristiano
This evening against City, Messi scored his seveth goal of the group stage, overtaking Raúl as the player to have scored the most goals in the opening phase. Sporting vs Barcelona
Group stage tally
At the Etihad this evening, Leo Messi scored his seventh goal of the current edition of the Champions League.It means he overtakes Raúl González to become the player to have scored the most goals in the group stage of the Champions League. The former Real Madrid forward scored a total of 53 goals in the opening phase, a figure which now has been overtaken by Messi, who has registered 54.
Messi has the chance to set another competition record, Cristiano Ronaldo's record for goals in one Champions League group stage. Last year, the Portuguese forward made history by scoring 11 goals in the group phase. Messi is five goals of breaking that record with just two group games left to play - away to Celtic and at home to Borussia Mönchengladbach - it is a tall order but worth remembering that Messi has scored seven goals in four games.