WORLD
Barcelona’s Lionel Messi becomes Champions League’s all-time top scorer
Baku, November 26, AZERTAC
Lionel Messi has become the all-time leading scorer in the Champions League after scoring a hat-trick for Barcelona in their Group F clash at Apoel Nicosia.
Messi moved level with the former Real Madrid striker Raul’s tally of 71 goals with a brace in Barca’s previous match at Ajax, and on Tuesday he claimed sole ownership of the record.
The Argentina forward was denied early on by Rafael Urko but there was nothing the Apoel goalkeeper could do in the 38th minute when Messi stuck out his right foot to deflect Rafinha’s shot into the net to make it 2-0 after Luis Suarez had opened the scoring. Messi found the net twice more in the second half to bring his total to 74.
Messi also became the Primera Division’s record goalscorer at the weekend, with his hat-trick in the 5-1 victory over Sevilla moving him onto 253, breaking Telmo Zarra’s 59-year-old mark of 251.