LIONEL MESSI has extended his GOAT claim over Cristiano Ronaldo after breaking his rival’s goalscoring record in Europe.
The Argentine has overtaken Ronaldo’s record for goals in European club football by scoring his 702nd in Paris Saint-Germain’s win over Nice.
Messi scored his 19th goal of the season against Nice
And it takes him ahead of Ronaldo’s total for goals scored in the top five European leagues
The World Cup-winning star clipped in a cross from left back Nuno Mendes in the 26th minute.
Messi’s corner was then headed home by Ronaldo’s former team-mate, Sergio Ramos in the 76th. Messi also leads Ligue 1 in assists with 13 in nine matches.
The goal took him one clear of his long-term nemesis Ronaldo for the most goals scored in Europe, in 105 less games.
The former Barcelona ace now has 702 goals across Europe’s top five leagues.
You suspect that would be a painful one for Ronaldo, who probably cannot now do anything about it.
While Messi continues to play at the highest level in Europe, it’s a sure thing that he’ll keep adding to the tally.
In contrast, Ronaldo completed a record-breaking move to Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr in January to end his spell in European football.
That ensured his goal tally for European clubs finished at 701. The majority of which (450) came at Real Madrid, with 145 across two spells with Manchester United, 101 goals for Juventus, and five for Sporting CP.
Ronaldo does have a mouthwatering 712 club goals, but 11 of those have come outside of Europe.
