On European nights: The 71-goal man vs the 70-goal man

Michael Laudrup once said, “I think they need each other. If one scores a hat-trick, the other tries to beat that.” Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, blissfully ignorant of other mere mortals, have made the football pitch their battleground to settle their personal duel, mesmerising the world.

Many a Champions League nights have been lit up by these two modern-day legends and the next two will be no different, hopefully. The inevitable is bound to happen; Raul Gonzalez’s record of most goals – 71 – in the Champions League is in all probability going to be surpassed this week, given the duo’s goal-scoring records in the past seven campaigns. With Messi on 71 and Ronaldo on 70, it is the Argentine who has the upper hand, especially since Barcelona play against APOEL on Tuesday, while Ronaldo will have to wait till Wedensday to face Basel.



Where it all began

Messi, aged 13, a small-framed boy, was waiting to be picked up from the El Prat airport in Barcelona for his trial at La Masia on Sunday, September 17, 2000. Former Barca man Charly Rexach had earlier grinned his familiar grin and said to Horacio Gaggioli (who helped broker the deal), ‘I’ll go down in Barcelona’s history’.

Rexach played for the first team for 17 years and had been coach, assistant coach, technical director and presidential adviser. However, his words weren’t reflective of his own achievements; it was because he would sign Messi, and he wrote that on a ‘hidden’ serviette, as the story goes. Rexach knew even then that the kid was ‘special’ and would one day be Barca’s front man for years to come. But surely, even he could not have envisaged little Leo climbing to such dizzying heights.



After making his first appearance at the Champions League in the 2004-05 season, an 18-year-old Messi got off the mark in the following campaign during a group match against Panathinaikos in November, 2005 at the Camp Nou. Messi managed to wriggle away from the attention of two defenders and lifted the ball delicately over the keeper to score Barca’s third in their eventual 5-0 win.

It was a special night for the long-haired youngster, who peeled away with arms lifted on his side in celebration, which would go on to become a common sight on floodlit Champions League nights. It would also be a special season for the team as Frank Rijkaard’s Barcelona went on to win the Champions League that year against Arsenal.



Messi did not feature in the final due to fitness concerns but still wrapped his hands around the silver trophy for the first time on a stormy night in Paris; a sign of things to come.

Despite starting his European journey years before his rival, Ronaldo took a whopping 33 appearances to break his duck. His first goal was a night to remember for the Portuguese and The Red Devils, who claimed a 7-1 win over Roma in the second leg of their April, 2007 quarter-final. Ronaldo made it 4-0 before half-time with a now-trademark shot low into the corner of the net.



Ronaldo scored two more goals that year, but failed to take United to the finals as they lost to a Kaka-inspired AC Milan in the semi-finals.

Messi, on the other hand, still had a lot to prove as he ended the 2006-07 with just one goal to his name.

However, these early struggles were just the calm before the storm and both players were to soon start wowing the continent.

Goals per game: Messi wins

In footballing circles, there is an obsession with determining ‘the best player in the world’ and so Messi and Ronaldo are destined to be defined by each other’s deeds; measured by one another’s excellence.

It has taken Messi just 90 Champions League appearances to equal Raul’s record of 71 goals, giving the 27-year-old a 0.79 goals per game ratio. This is considerably higher than Ronaldo’s 0.66, with 70 goals in 113 matches; 55 for Real Madrid and 15 for United.



Knockout stage goals: Ronaldo wins

It was at the tender age of 20 that Messi first set the Champions League alight in the 2007-08 season, scoring a brace against Celtic, who had been in superb form at home, to give Barcelona the win in their round of 16 match.

Pep Guardiola’s late-night brainwave, transforming the Argentine into a false-nine from a right-winger, paid dividends for both club and player. “When I give you a sign, I want you to move away from the midfielders and into the space I just showed you,” Guardiola told Messi according to the The Telegraph before an El Classico. “The minute Xavi or Andrés Iniesta break between the lines and give you the ball, I want you to head straight for Casillas’ goal.” Barcelona won 6-2 on the night, Messi scored a hat-trick, and the false-nine was born.

It all culminated in the 2009 Champions League final against United, who lost their first European Cup final in four appearances, as Messi led Barcelona to a historic treble. With the score at 1-0 thanks to a Samuel Eto’o near-post finish, Messi ghosted in between the two centre backs to nod Xavi’s cross back across goal and into the corner; 2-0 and game over. Ronaldo, playing in the red and white of United, had three fierce shots in the opening 10 minutes but then faded away as Barcelona’s ‘carousel’ took complete control.

Highlight: The next year, it was another English club to feel the Argentine’s wrath. Messi scored four against Arsenal in the quarter-final second leg in 2010. His third one especially stood out as he raced through the Arsenal defence and slipped the ball over a helpless Manuel Almunia to claim the match ball.

Highlight: In 2012, Messi became the only player to score five goals in a Champions League match against Bayer Leverkusen. “Messi’s class is just extraordinary, there’s no discussion. Without him, Barca are the best team and with him, they are in another galaxy,” said Lerverkusen boss Robin Dutt on the night.

Highlight: Messi carved the way for his third Champions League crown after scoring the winner in Barca’s 3-1 victory over United in 2011. “Goals are only important if they win you games,” Messi had said before his match and after equalling Raul’s record, he rated his two goals against United in the two finals as his favourite ones.

His current tally of 31 goals in the knockout stages is 44% of his total goal tally.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo’s first ever Champions League goal was in the knockout stages. He then went on to score a header to open United’s account in the 2008 final against Chelsea, just as Messi would against his side in the final the next year. The match went to penalties and even though United won, the Portuguese star missed his shot.

Ronaldo became the most expensive player in history an year later as he moved to Real, where he became a ‘genuine goal-scorer rather than a soloist’ in Brendan Rodgers’ words. In 2013, more goals came for the Los Blancos, as he scored in both the legs against his former club.

Highlight: The Portuguese starred against Arsenal in 2009, adding to a plethora of memorable goals as he took United to their second successive Champions League final. He played as a central striker on the night and beat Manuel Almunia at his near post with a 41-yard screamer from a free-kick.

However, Ronaldo described his strike against Porto as his ‘best ever goal’ when he returned to Portugal to face his old side Sporting Lisbon’s fierce rivals. “I would have to go a long way back in the memory bank to find another one like that,” said then Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson about the goal and Ronaldo would often make the continent think along the same lines.

Highlight: Ronaldo scored a stunning number of goals – eight – in last season’s knockout stages which also saw a penalty see the back of the net in the final against Atletico Madrid, his second title and the second time he scored in the final.

With his tally of 33 goals, Ronaldo makes it 47% to Messi’s 44%, just slightly above his rival.

Worst moments

With Messi having thwarted United the previous year and Barcelona aiming to be the first team to defend their European crown in the 2010 Champions League, the Argentine had hoped to lead his team to the final against Bayern Munich. However, it was Jose Mourinho’s tactical masterclass that stopped the 27-year-old in his stride, as he was perfectly marked by Javier Zanetti, and rendered him useless in both legs as he saw his side collapse in the semi-final to Inter Milan.

The Portuguese star came to the Stadio Olimpico in Rome with the hopes of winning back-to-back Champions League title for United; however, his dream was soon shattered as he was anonymous in the 2-0 loss and his pain was made worse once Messi scored the winner in the 70th minute in the 2009 Champions League final to silence the English fans and leave Ronaldo in tears.

Conclusion

Messi and Ronaldo have long rivalled for the tag of ‘best player in the world’, and while the phrase may be interpreted in any number of ways, the most memorable breakaway, the measurement of ‘greatness’ is that by numbers. And so, the race will go on.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 25^th, 2014.

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