Messi Wins UCL Goal of the Season, Fans Think Rodri Was Robbed

Messi Wins UCL Goal of the Season, Fans Think Rodri Was Robbed

Elijah Odetokun
updated at July 1, 2023 at 5:27 PM
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  • Lionel Messi’s goal against Benfica has been named the UEFA Champions League goal of the season
  • This was a beautiful team goal that ended with Messi curling it into the net in his trademark fashion
  • However, fans believe Manchester City midfielder Rodri’s strike against Bayern Munich is far better

Lionel Messi has been awarded the UEFA Champions League goal of the season for his goal against Benfica, but fans believe there is a better and more significant goal.

Messi has left Europe but has got one more piece of shiny metal to accompany him to Major League Soccer, where he is expected to resume later in July.

He departed Europe after two years at Paris Saint-Germain and opted for the United States when it was obvious a move to his former club Barcelona could not be done due to financial issues.

Lionel Messi, PSG, Benfica, Lisbon, UEFA Champions League.
Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring for PSG against Benfica in the group stage of the Champions League. Photo by Carlos Rodrigues.
Source: Getty Images

According to UEFA, the controversial winning goal of the season was also awarded the goal of the group stage after the first round ended in November.

Messi wins award ahead of Rodri

The Argentina captain has won many awards in his career, and a few of them have had controversial touches. UEFA announced the goal via Twitter this afternoon, and the subsequent reactions suggested they think another player was robbed.

Spanish midfielder Rodri scored a cracker to secure a 1-0 win for Manchester City in the first leg of their quarter-final encounter against Bayern Munich.

Another goal which was tipped to be better by the fans was Vinicius Jr's opening goal against City in the semi-final first leg, which ended 1-1.

However, others took consolation in the fact that a voting award involving either Messi or archrival Cristiano Ronaldo will always tilt in favour of the superstars.

Kluivert picks Messi as GOAT

Sports Brief reported that Dutch legend Patrick Kluivert picked Messi as GOAT ahead of fellow South American greats Pele and Diego Maradona.

The former Barcelona striker believes winning the Copa America and 2022 FIFA World Cup has propelled the 35-year-old to the pinnacle of football greats.

Surprisingly, he made no mention of Cristiano Ronaldo, who many of this generation believes is next to and can rival the former PSG attacker.

Authors
Elijah Odetokun photo
Elijah Odetokun
Elijah Odetokun is Reuters-trained journalist with three years of experience having previously worked at Daily Times Nigeria, OmaSports and El Futbolero.