Author: Amrit Santlani
Lionel Messi surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo’s goalscoring exploits in Europe when the World Cup-winning Argentine opened the scoring during Paris Saint-Germain’s 2-0 win over Nice in Ligue 1 on Saturday.
Messi has failed to score in his last three league games, but he did score to help PSG keep their lead intact over second-placed Lens. With his latest goal, Messi surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo’s incredible feat and also reached another important milestone.
The 35-year-old opened the scoring in the 26th minute, giving his side the lead and taking Messi to 702 goals in Europe’s top five leagues. Ronaldo, who currently plays for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, has scored 701 goals in Europe’s five major leagues.
Ronaldo scored 701 goals in two spells at Manchester United, after making a name for himself at Sporting Lisbon, before playing for Real Madrid and also Juventus. Messi, however, surpassed Ronaldo’s tally, having played 105 fewer games than his rival.
The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner scored 672 goals in 778 games for Barcelona, where he conquered the whole of Europe, before adding another 30 goals in PSG colors since joining the Parc des Princes in 2021. He played a total of 68 games for the Parisians, including his last match against Nice.
Previously, Messi was often criticized for not playing in any other league or team apart from his time with Barcelona, while Ronaldo dominated every league he played in, however, the Argentine captain has had a fruitful spell at PSG, where he won Ligue 1 as well as the Trophee des Champions earlier this season and remains on course to add another Ligue 1 title to his impressive collection of 37 trophies.
Later, in the match against Nice, the star sealed the three points by setting up his teammate Sergio Ramos, who headed in from close range. According to ESPN, it was Messi’s 1,000th goal at club level, with a total of 298 assists.
The Parisians had recently suffered a defeat at the hands of Lyon and Messi was booed during the match as he continues to be linked with a move to Barcelona. Having joined the Parc des Princes in 2021, the 35-year-old is coming to the end of his current contract. With only a few remaining before the end of the season, the legendary striker could become a free agent this summer.
Shortly afterwards, when Messi lifted the World Cup with Argentina, it seemed that his extension would be a mere formality, as reports claimed that PSG had a verbal agreement on the extension, but negotiations have stalled in recent months.
His boyhood club sees this as an opportunity to lure their prodigal son back to the Camp Nou, however, given La Liga’s financial restrictions, coupled with financial fair play conditions, Barcelona could not afford to pay Messi’s current salary. Either he would have to take a big pay cut, or he could remain in the French capital in the company of Neymar and Kylian Mbappé.
After a relatively quiet first season at PSG, Messi has lit up the Parc des Princes with his performances this season, scoring 19 goals and providing 17 assists in 34 matches in all competitions. Ronaldo, on the other hand, has also been scoring goals for fun, as the two legendary strikers continue to defy all age barriers.