Lionel Messi Could Pass Cristiano Ronaldo’s Impeccable Champions League Record This Season

• Cristiano Ronaldo is set to miss out on Champions League football for the first time in a very long time after Manchester United failed to qualify last season
• This could open a clear pathway for Lionel Messi to hunt down Ronaldo's status as the top scorer in the competition
• Messi is just 15 goals shy from Ronaldo's record and given his huge potential, could surpass the record in just one season

Lionel Messi will have a perfect opportunity to equal or pass Cristiano Ronaldo's impressive record in the Champions League this season.

The Paris Saint-Germain star has always been involved in a neck-to-neck battle with Ronaldo. Ronaldo has an edge in Europe's top club competition, but all that could change this season.

Arsenal winger on the verge of making Ligue 1 return after struggles at the Emirates

Football

Ronaldo is facing the daunting prospect of failing to participate in the Champions League for the first time in over 15 years. Manchester United could only qualify for the Europa League and Ronaldo's attempts to leave the club or find another Champions League-playing club have so far been futile.

Messi, meanwhile, will head into his second season with PSG. The French giants are always considered frontrunners in their quest to land a maiden Champions League title. The hopes are at an all-time high with new head coach Christophe Galtier setting the tone with high-profile wins in Ligue 1.

Ronaldo leads the top-scorer standings in the Champions League

Ronaldo is the competition's all-time top-scorer, having found the back of the net 140 times. Messi is a close second with 125 goals to his name. Should Messi score more than 15 goals this season, he could pass Ronaldo's record and move to the top of that list.

PSG plot audacious summer move to sign key Man City midfielder

Football

It isn't beyond Messi to grab 15 goals in one season, but the greatest undoing could be his positional change at PSG. The Argentine has adopted more of a playmaker role in Paris, leaving the scoring burden to Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

Messi could also match Ronaldo's Champions League titles should he lead PSG to its first title this season.

All this is under the premise that Ronaldo fails to secure a move to a Champions League playing club before the end of the transfer window.

Bruno Fernandes has suggested that Ronaldo could Manchester United

Sports Brief had earlier reported that Bruno Fernandes has suggested that Cristiano Ronaldo is still keen on leaving Manchester United this summer.

Ronaldo has widely been linked with an exit despite still having a year left on his current deal with the Red Devils.

It is believed that the 37-year-old has already made it clear to United about his desire to quit the Theatre of Dreams.