Published By: Ritayan Basu
Last Updated: March 09, 2023, 11:11 IST
Football superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi (Reuters and AP)
Cristiano Ronaldo still has 12 more goals than Lionel Messi in the UEFA Champions League
Paris Saint-Germain’s (PSG) hopes of winning the Champions League shattered last night after they were downed by Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena in Munich. The defeat did not only put an end to PSG’s bid to claim the much-coveted Champions League title but it also proved to be a major blow for Lionel Messi. The star PSG striker, who may have played his final Champions League game, now needs 12 more goals to overtake Cristiano Ronaldo on the list of the tournament’s all-time top goalscorers. Messi’s current contract at PSG will expire at the end of this summer and the Argentine has been linked with a summer transfer to Major League Soccer (MLS) outfit Inter Miami.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s stint in Europe may be over after signing a record-breaking deal with Al-Nassr FC but his brilliance in the Champions League could very well remain unmatched. While Ronaldo currently has 140 goals to his name in the Champions League, Messi has found the back of the net 129 times in the Europe’s premier competition. Needless to say, if Messi decides to join MLS next season, it would certainly be enough for Ronaldo to keep his legacy intact in the Champions League. Ronaldo, in his illustrious career, has scored in the Champions League while playing for Manchester United, Juventus and Real Madrid. The Argentine, on the other hand, has scored for Barcelona and PSG in the Europe’s top-flight competition.
PSG had to endure a Champions League round-of-16 exit after they were beaten by German giants Bayern Munich 2-0 on Thursday. The defeat also marked PSG’s fifth Champions League round-of-16 exit in last seven seasons. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Serge Gnabry scored for the Bavarian giants, sealing a 3-0 aggregate victory to reach the quarter-finals. PSG head coach Christophe Galtier rued the missed chances as his star-studded attacking line-up could not score a goal against Bayern Munich over two legs.
“We didn’t open the scoring when we had the chance. We did well in the first half, we felt we could match our opponents, but we didn’t put away our chances. We conceded what was a really stupid first goal at this level. Yes, there was pressure from Bayern, but sometimes you mustn’t be ashamed to play it long to get over the pressing,” Galtier said after the game.
PSG, in their next game, will take on Brest in Ligue 1 on Sunday, March 12.
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