Karim Benzema’s hand in Real Madrid’s demolition of Liverpool at Anfield has seen the Frenchman join Lionel Messi in holding a rare Champions League record that even Cristiano Ronaldo will be unable to match.
Veteran Ronaldo currently holds the record for the most goals scored in the competition (141), most games played (187), most assists (42) and most goals in a Champions League season (17), though his move to Saudi Arabia side Al Nassr may mean that several of these are lost to the likes of Messi, Benzema and Mbappe in the coming seasons.
By scoring the fourth and fifth goals against a pathetic Liverpool side on Tuesday night, however, former Real Madrid teammate Benzema opened his account in the Champions League for the season, and in doing so moved level with Lionel Messi.
Luka Modric showed last night that he’s still got it 🍷
Breaking the lines, just as @rioferdy5 dived into with the man himself… #BetweenTheLines | https://t.co/Q6jb2iw22E pic.twitter.com/dgXRzFazO5
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) February 22, 2023
The pair are the only two players in the history of the competition to have scored in a mammoth 18 consecutive seasons, with Ronaldo now stuck on 17 and unable to move level with either player, thanks to his inability to play in the Champions League this season, let alone score, courtesy of Manchester United’s participation in the Europa League and Al-Nassr not a European side.
They both have scope to move further clear of the 38-year-old too, with both still performing well for their sides and still only 35, meaning that hitting 20 consecutive seasons scoring in the Champions League is well within the realms of possibility.
As it stands, Lionel Messi trails Ronaldo by 12 goals and two assists in the all-time charts, having scored just one fewer penalty than his age-old rival. With a new contract at PSG in the works, he will be targetting those records in the years to come.
