What Champions League records did Messi break against Maccabi?

Leo Messi continues to write his legacy in the Champions League. The Argentinean’s goal in PSG’s 3-1 victory away at Maccabi Haifa, which pulled the Ligue 1 side back into a game that had begun to look like a potential banana skin, also served for the former Barcelona forward to break two more records in the competition and surpass both Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo. In addition to his goal, Messi later added an assist for Kylian Mbappé that brings him a little closer to the Portuguese in the historical order of that statistical section.

His goal in the 36th minute made Messi the first footballer in history to score in 18 consecutive seasons in the Champions League. The Argentine thusly surpassed Benzema, who has scored in each of his last 17 Champions League campaigns and who will have the opportunity to pull level with Messi in the remainder this season. Cristiano Ronaldo, who is playing in the Europa League this season with Manchester United, has scored in 16 consecutive campaigns.

Messi’s Champions League dominance

Messi scored his first goal in the Champions League on November 2, 2005 against Panathinaikos at the Camp Nou, adding Barcelona’s third in an eventual 5-0 victory, also adding an assist for Samuel Eto’o. Since scoring his first, Messi has now reached a total of 126 goals in the Champions League, to Cristiano Ronaldo’s 141, according to official UEFA statistics. They are the two top historical scorers in the competition, ahead of Robert Lewandowski (89) and Benzema (86). With his goal against Maccabi Haifa, Messi also became the first footballer to score against 39 different teams in the Champions League, surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo’s 38.

The assist he provided Mbappé for PSG’s second goal gives Messi 37 assists in the Champions League, five behind Cristiano Ronaldo, another record the Portuguese is in danger of losing this season.