Lionel Messi breaks Criano Ronaldo record after PSG win over Montpellier

Lionel Messi scored for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) on Wednesday as they beat Montpellier 3-1 and moved five points clear at the top of the French league.
It was Lionel Messi’s 697th goal in top five European leagues, surpassing the record of Criano Ronaldo.
He achieved it in 84 less games than the Portuguese star.
Before this game, Messi had scored 696 goals in his club career, with 13 goals for PSG this season.
He did it with 84 less games played pic.twitter.com/pQmaW0Tubl
— JAKE BUCKLEY (@TheMasterBucks) February 1, 2023
Unless Ronaldo decides to return to a club in Europe’s top five leagues, the Portuguese international will end with 696 goals.
Ronaldo scored 450 goals from Real Madrid, 145 for Manchester United and 101 for Juventus.
At the peak of their careers, Messi and Ronaldo spent nine seasons facing off while playing for rival La Liga clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid.
With a combined 76 major trophies (Messi 42, Ronaldo 34), they are two of the most decorated players in the hory of football.
Meanwhile, in a recent interview Messi said that he has not watched the final against France. Argentina won the final on penalties to win its first World Cup title since 1986.
“Since that day, everything changed for me,” he said. “ luck, what we dreamed about so much happened. I wished that so much in my career and, at the end, it came.”
Asked what he would tell Messi in his childhood if he could, the star said: “Something extraordinary awaits, you can’t imagine. You will have a beautiful path, with some tough moments that you will have to overcome, but never give your dreams away because at the end you will get your most desired reward. Your film will have a happy ending.”