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Lionel Messi recently achieved an impressive milestone, equalling the total number of goals scored by Cristiano Ronaldo across Europe's top five leagues. The Argentine ace notably scored in a league match against Angers, which has accumulated his goalscoring record to a whopping 696 strikes for Barcelona and PSG.
This matches the Portuguese icon's tally from his days at Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus. Cristiano Ronaldo notched 118 goals during his first stint with United before setting a club record of 450 goals in 438 appearances for Los Blancos. He then went on to score 101 times over three seasons in Turin, before adding 27 more strikes in his second spell at Old Trafford.
The 37-year-old scored five goals for Sporting, which takes him up to 701 career goals overall, just five ahead of Lionel Messi, who is two years younger. However, Sporting does not compete in the top five leagues in Europe.
The Argentine World Cup winner has been consistently prolific since joining Barcelona early in his career. At Camp Nou, where he is seen as a legend, he became the club's all-time top scorer with 672 goals from 778 appearances.
Lionel Messi's goal against Angers helps him reach Cristiano Ronaldo's record
Lionel Messi, fresh from his triumphant exploits at the World Cup, made a spectacular return to Paris Saint-Germain's lineup for their Ligue 1 match against Angers. The Argentine maestro was granted a leave of absence for PSG’s previous matches following his heroics in Qatar's remarkable final.
The diminutive magician played the entire 90 minutes and capped off an impressive performance by netting his side's second goal of the night. This marked his return after an absence of two months due to the World Cup and was his 13th goal this season from 20 matches played.
Additionally, it was also Messi's eighth Ligue 1 goal this season, two more than what he achieved in 2021-22. His effort against Angers puts him at par with Cristiano Ronaldo's record of 696 goals in Europe's top five leagues.
The win against Angers was a fitting addition to matching Ronaldo's record, and Messi will look to be continually instrumental for PSG in the ongoing campaign. He will hope he can aid their efforts as they continue their march towards another Ligue 1 title while pushing for their first Champions League trophy.
