Barcelona captain, Lionel Messi, has equalled Juventus forward, Cristiano Ronaldo’s goals record from open-play ahead of his side’s Champions League round of 16 first leg tie against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night.
Messi achieved the record despite being three years younger than his long-time rival, Ronaldo, during Barcelona’s 5-1 win over Alaves in the La Liga over the weekend.
The Argentine captain scored twice against Alaves to take his La Liga tally to fifteen (15) for the season, with both goals coming from outside the box.
According to Michelacosta, Messi’s brace against Alaves means the 33-year-old has taken his tally from open-play to 573 in his career.
Despite being two years older, Ronaldo has managed the same number as Messi, despite playing 145 more official games than the Barca number 10.
In total, Ronaldo has scored 763 goals to Messi’s 723, and the main gap is the penalty numbers.
The Portugal captain has scored 38 times more from the spot-kick in his career so far.
Messi equals Cristiano Ronaldo’s record ahead of Barcelona’s Champions League clash with PSG
