With Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo returning to his side's starting XI against Ajax Amsterdam, he immediately scored to further cement his name in football's record books by extending three records over longstanding rival Lionel Messi.
Click through the gallery above to see the top goalscorers in UCL history.
The Portuguese striker netted for Juve in their 1-1 draw with Ajax in the first leg of their quarter-final tie, taking his tally to five UCL goals for the 2018/19 campaign.
In addition, it was his 24th goal in the quarter-final stage of the competition – more than any other player. Messi follows in joint-second place, along with former Real Madrid forward Raul Gonzalez, with 10 quarter-final goals.
Messi last scored a goal in a quarter-final of the Champions League in April 2013. Ronaldo has scored 16 quarter-final goals since and lifted four UCL titles with Real Madrid. pic.twitter.com/126e2YdhcD
— David Kappel (@kappilinho) April 10, 2019
Even when looking at the time before the modern Champions League was introduced, Ronaldo leads the quarter-final scoring charts, with Alfredo Di Stefano following in second position with 14 strikes at this stage in the European Champions Cup.
The 34-year-old Bianconeri attacker has now scored at least once in the quarter-final in each of the past 11 Champions League campaigns, another competition record.
His goal at Ajax also took his tally in UCL quarter- and semi-finals plus finals to 41 strikes, an incredible 25 more than second-placed Messi.
Read: Messi Names World's 5 Best Players, Excludes CR7 Himself
Overall, Ronaldo now has 125 Champions League goals, with Messi following in second place with 108 strikes. The Argentine, though, still leads this year's UCL goalscoring chart with eight strikes – as many as Robert Lewandowski, who is no longer in the tournament.
Do you think Ronaldo can still catch Messi in this year's UCL Golden Boot race? Have your say in the comments section below.
