Messi's Champions League Records Fall to Stars Mbappe, Haaland, and Kane

Lionel Messi possesses an extensive collection of records, so many that he might not be fully aware of them all. A significant portion of these achievements are linked to the Champions League, a tournament he won four times with Barcelona between 2006 and 2015. He has not participated in the competition since PSG's exit in the last-16 against Bayern Munich in 2023. Historically, Messi holds records such as the most goals for a single club (120 for Barcelona), the most hat-tricks (eight, a record shared with Cristiano Ronaldo), and scoring in the most consecutive seasons (18, alongside Karim Benzema).

This past week, however, three of his personal benchmarks were surpassed by three of the era's elite goalscorers: Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, and Erling Haaland.

Youngest to reach 100 games

In September 2015, Messi set a record as the youngest player to reach 100 Champions League appearances, achieving this milestone at 28 years and 84 days old during a 1-1 draw against Roma. On Wednesday night, this record was broken by the 27-year-old Mbappe, who made his 100th appearance in the competition. The occasion held a sense of symmetry, as it occurred against the same opponent, Real Madrid, who came back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat Roma 4-3 at the Stadio Olimpico. Mbappe marked his centenary appearance with a goal, bringing his total to 72 goals in 100 Champions League games.

Fastest to 60 goals

Simultaneously, Messi lost another record in Manchester at the Etihad Stadium, where Manchester City hosted defending champions PSG. After a dominant first half from the visitors, PSG had to withstand a second-half resurgence inspired by Erling Haaland. By scoring twice in the match, Haaland became the fastest player to reach 60 Champions League goals, achieving this in just 60 appearances. His second goal of the night brought his tally to 61 goals in 60 games. Messi had previously held this record, having reached 60 goals in 80 games.

Goals after 30

On Tuesday night, reports emerged that Harry Kane had surpassed Messi's record for Champions League goals scored after the age of 30. More precisely, Kane has moved ahead of Messi on this particular list. The record for most goals scored after turning 30 in the Champions League is held by Cristiano Ronaldo with 68 goals. Messi himself scored 35 goals after his 30th birthday. Kane's brace against Viking for Bayern Munich took his tally to 36, pushing Messi further down the rankings. Given Kane's current form, he may even challenge Ronaldo's mark.