Ronaldo and Messi: Every UEFA Champions League Record These Football Legends Hold

• Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are no longer playing in the UEFA Champions League
• The two hold numerous UCL records and it will take time for other stars to break them all
• Sports Brief looks at all the records Ronaldo and Messi hold in the European elite tourney

The Champions League returns this week for matchweek 2. In the first week, we saw some exciting matches but what was noticeable was the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi for the first time in 20 years.

The Argentine's move to Inter Miami and the Portuguese's move to the Saudi Pro League means the competition will have to make do without them and it is unlikely for either one to return to Europe.

Before leaving, Messi and Ronaldo won the competition numerous times and scored many goals while giving fans indelible memories of their performances. Their displays in the competition cemented their status as two of the greatest footballers of all time.

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Both veterans have so many iconic performances in the Champions League that they have been the yardstick by which other players' success is measured.

Ronaldo last won the tournament in 2018 with Real Madrid, while Messi lifted the title in 2015 with his beloved Barcelona.

Messi and Ronaldo Champions League stats

Ronaldo holds the record for most goals scored and appearances in the competition, and it will take a while for another player to break his record.

All of Messi's Champions League titles were won with his boyhood club, Barcelona, while his rival won four with Real Madrid and one with Manchester United. The Portuguese forward also played in the competition with Italian giants, Juventus.

The two players met in the final once, in 2009, when Ronaldo was still at Manchester United. Messi and Barcelona came out on top.

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Ronaldo and Messi's Champions League records

The two were the best players in the world for over a decade, and they broke many Champions League records in their prime. Which player holds which records? Sports Brief takes a look.

Lionel Messi's Champions League records

Interestingly, only Messi and Ronaldo have scored more than 100 goals in the competition. Here are the Champions League records Messi holds

• Most Champions League group stage goals: 80 (71 for Barcelona)
• Most Champions League round of 16 goals: 29
• Most Champions League goals for one club: 120 (Barcelona)
• Most successive seasons scoring in the Champions League: 18

These are Messi's Champions League records. In La Liga, he has scored the most goals (474) in the competition, scored the most goals (50) in a single campaign and scored the most hat-tricks (35) in the league. He has won the competition 10 times. And there's a small issue of winning the 2022 World Cup.

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Ronaldo's Champions League records

The Al-Nassr striker should probably change his name to Mr. Champions League because he holds so many records in the competition. Here are some of his records in the competition.

• Most goals in a Champions League season: 17 (2013/14)
• Most goals in Champions League knockout stages: 67
• Champions League top scorer: 2007/08, 2012/13, 2013/14, 2014/15, 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18
• The only player to score in three Champions League finals
• The only player to score in 11 straight UEFA Champions League games

It would take a while to list Ronaldo's accomplishments and records here since he has so many of them.

Messi and Ronaldo went toe-to-toe for over a decade, creating a cult-like following. Some consider Messi the greatest of all time after his 2022 FIFA World Cup triumph, and that is a strong case for the Argentinian. Others feel Ronaldo's records make him the best of all time, but the debate rages on.

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Ronaldo and Messi have together amassed an impressive total of 12 Ballon d'Or awards in their careers and the Inter Miami star could win his 8th award this year.

Messi vs Ronaldo: Drogba reveals his GOAT

Sports Brief also reported on an Ivorian legend's assessment, along with several other elite footballers, who have weighed in on the perennially divisive Ronaldo versus Messi debate.

In his opinion, Didier Drogba opted for Ronaldo as the greatest of all time when asked to pick between the two superstar players, asserting that this was also 'an established fact.'