Messi, Ronaldo race to become all-time top scorer in UEFA Champions League

Messi, Ronaldo race to become all-time top scorer in UEFA Champions League. November. 07, 2014 05:31. .

They are rivals indeed.

Duel between Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona and Christino Ronaldo of Real Madrid, is intensifying all over again. Messi, hailing from Argentina, has been dominating since debuting in the Spanish Primera Liga in 2004. Ronaldo from Portugal debuted in Sporting (Portugal) in 2002, played for Manchester United (England), and has been playing for Real Madrid in the Primera Liga since 2009, forming rivalry with Messi.

Who is the world’s best between the two? Experts say unanimously that “They both are the best, although they have different styles.”

Ronaldo gained the upper hand during the early days of this season. He had a whopping 17 goals in nine matches of the Primera Liga, outpacing Messi with only seven goals. However, the situation is different on the stage of the UEFA Champions League. Messi and Ronaldo are fiercely competing with each other for the position of all-time top scorer as individual players in the UEFA Champions League. The previous record is 71 goals set by Raul Gonzalez, who played for Real Madrid. Prior to the opening of the 2014-2015 UEFA Champions League, Messi and Ronaldo both scored 67 goals each in the Champions League. Ronaldo reached the 70 goal mark first, and was poised to set a new record, but Messi did not stay put.

Messi spearheaded his team’s 2-0 win in the fourth match in Group F against Ajax (the Netherlands) in the Champions League’s group competitions by scoring two goals at Amsterdam Stadium in Amsterdam, the Netherlands on Thursday. With the win, Barcelona garnered nine goals overall and secured its advance to the round of 16 strongest teams along with the top contender Paris Saint Germain (with 10 goals).

Messi’s goals on the day are his 70th and 71st in the Champions League. As Barcelona will play a Champions League match on November 26, one day before Barcelona’s match, Messi for now has gained the upper hand to overcome Gonzalez before Ronaldo. However, the rivals will likely continue their race to become the top scorer until the end of the season.

After the match, Messi said, “My team’s advance to the round of 16 strongest teams is more important,” displaying a relaxed stance in his competition with Ronaldo. Ronaldo, who received the European Golden Shoe (prize awarded to the top scorer in the European leagues) on the day due to his stellar performance in the previous season, said, “After retirement, I want to remember that ‘I was one of the best players in history’ when reviewing records that I will have left. I will do that without fail,” indicating that his race with Messi is not over yet.