Following Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nassr, his eternal rival Lionel Messi holds the chance to break three of the Portugal captain’s impressive records in Europe.
Recall that Ronaldo recently joined Al-Nassr, a Saudi Pro League club, after his contract with Man United was terminated by mutual consent.
Ronaldo and Messi have been in a battle for supremacy for over fifteen years.
The duo have pushed each other beyond their limits and have broken many records in the process.
The two Ballon d’Or winners now hold a considerable portion of football records to their names, and no footballer has come close.
However, Ronaldo will no longer be playing in Europe in the next two years after signing a deal with Al-Nassr that would see him remain at the club until 2025.
This has now left Messi, who currently plays for Paris Saint-Germain, with the opportunity to catch and surpass some of Ronaldo’s records in the near future.
We take a look at some of Ronaldo’s records in Europe that Messi could break or surpass.
– Most assists in the UEFA Champions League:
Ronaldo currently has 41 assists in the Champions League, while Messi has 40.
Messi has the opportunity to surpass Ronaldo this season when Paris Saint-Germain face Bayern Munich in the Round of 16.
The Argentina captain needs just two assists to become the footballer with the most assists in the history of the Champions League.
– Most goals in Europe:
Ronaldo overtook Messi to become the footballer with the most goals in the top five leagues (EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1) in Europe.
The 37-year-old scored 701 goals during his time with Manchester United, Real Madrid in La Liga, Juventus and Sporting, while Messi just needs two more PSG goals to surpass Ronaldo.
– Most goals in the UEFA Champions League:
Messi will find it hard to beat Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal tally in the Champions League this season.
The former Barcelona captain needs to score twelve more goals to overtake Ronaldo.
