Lionel Messi of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) has broken Cristiano Ronaldo’s record for most goals scored in Europe’s top five leagues. The Argentine scored the second goal for the Parisians in their 3-1 league victory over Montpellier on February 1, surpassing Ronaldo.
After spending his entire senior career playing in Europe’s top five leagues, Messi scored his 697th goal for the club. He scored 696 more goals than Ronaldo and played 84 fewer games than his Portuguese counterpart. The rival’s total of 701 club goals is just four shy of the former Barcelona star’s.
Since Ronaldo has yet to score in a competitive match for his new club Al-Nassr, the Argentine may soon surpass him. The 35-year-old scored his 14th goal for PSG this season across all competitions. In his 23 appearances for the Parisians overall this season, he has also contributed 14 assists.
After returning to Paris, the Argentine failed to regain his pre-World Cup form, which led to criticism from some quarters. However, he appears to have regained his mojo, and he will now play a crucial role in his club’s pursuit of the elusive UEFA Champions League trophy.
With Lionel Messi scoring, PSG beat Montpellier to win desperately :
PSG had won just one of their last four Ligue 1 games before the Montpellier match. The French giants, desperate for a victory, were without Neymar for the crucial match, and Kylian Mbappe was substituted in the 21st minute with a hamstring injury.
After Fabian Ruiz’s opening goal in the 55th minute, Messi, on the other hand, ensured that the team crossed the goal line and scored the club’s second goal in the 72nd minute. Arnaud Nordin of Montpellier scored a minute before time,
but Warren Zaire-Emery’s injury-time goal gave PSG the victory. After 21 games, they now lead Marseille, which is in second place, by five points in the league table.