In Paris Saint-Germain's 7-2 win over Maccabi Haifa on Tuesday night, Lionel Messi set yet another remarkable UEFA Champions League record to leave Cristiano Ronaldo in his wake.
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The Argentine's two goals and two assists in the French giants' latest win earned him the Man of the Match award, but it was his second strike on the night that saw him set yet another record in the competition.
Following a one-two combination with Kylian Mbappe, the 35-year-old beat an opponent with a clever bit of dribbling before launching an effort past the away side's goalkeeper to find the back of net from outside the box for the 23rd time in the Champions League.
According to Opta Sports, the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has officially surpassed his long-time rival Ronaldo having previously been tied on 22 outside-of-the-box strikes with the former Real Madrid and Juventus talisman.
Since his Champions League debut in 2004-05, Lionel Messi has scored more goals from outside the box than any other player in the competition (23, one more than Cristiano Ronaldo).#UCL [@OptaJoe] pic.twitter.com/GQeLTJ4zyo
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) October 25, 2022
Messi opened the scoring at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday with a strike with the outside of his left foot, before racking up a second goal contribution with an assist for Neymar. After adding his second goal, the Argentine set-up teammate Carlos Soler late in the second half too.
The Argentina captain has now played a hand in 23 goals in 16 appearances across all competitions this season.
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