Lionel Messi Pulls Clear of Cristiano Ronaldo, Sets Champions League Record With Stunning Goal Against Benfica

• Lionel Messi set a new record and has now scored against 40 different teams in the Champions League tournament
• Cristiano Ronaldo is not playing Champions League football this season and is concerned about Messi beating his records
• Messi still trails Ronaldo's record of most goals in the Champions League but is only 13 behind the Portuguese star

The battle to be the best between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi continues.

The duo are arguably the greatest of all time and have achieved many feats and broken many records on the football field.

With Cristiano Ronaldo not competing in the Champions League this season, Messi is taking full advantage of his rival’s absence to further cement his place in history.

As noted by the Mirror, the Paris Saint-Germain attacker set a new Champions League record last night to move further ahead of his rival.

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Messi’s goal against Benfica took him clear of Ronaldo in terms of opponents scored against in the Champions League. Messi scored a stunning curled goal to open the scoring for PSG as they drew 1-1 with Benfica, SportBible reported.

Benfica became the 40th club in the competition that the Argentinian wizard has scored against, setting a new record in the process.

Ronaldo has only found the net against 38 different opponents. Messi has also scored in 18 successive Champions League tournaments, more than any other player in the competition’s history.

Ronaldo was desperate to force a move to a Champions League team during the summer transfer window, as he wanted to be able to compete with Messi for UCL records. The Portuguese superstar still has the record for most goals in the competition with 140.

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Messi is currently on 127 but is in fine goal scoring form this season.

Lionel Messi: Footage surfaces online of PSG star receiving rapturous welcome in Cristiano Ronaldo's hometown

Lionel Messi was given a befitting welcome in Lisbon ahead of Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League tie against Benfica.

Fans thronged the hotel where Messi was staying and chanted Messi's name, Sports Brief earlier reported.

Even more peculiarly, Lisbon is the capital city of Messi's arch-nemesis, Cristiano Ronaldo's country.