UCL: Can Lionel Messi ever match Cristiano Ronaldo's goal record?

From Up: Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona forward Lionel Messi

Juventus were not at their best in the Champions League but, once again, that man Cristiano Ronaldo came to their rescue.


The former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward took his tally to 125 goals in 161 appearances in the competition with a superb diving header in Amsterdam.

He is now 17 goals ahead of his nearest rival Lionel Messi. Can the Barcelona forward - nearly three years younger - catch him?

Ronaldo, 34, made his Champions League debut in 2003 for United, but didn't find the net in the competition until 10 April 2007, when he scored twice in a 7-1 thrashing of Roma.

Twelve years to the day later he became the first man to reach the 125 mark with his brilliant header against Ajax.

Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri told Sky Sport Italia: "Ronaldo showed that he is on a different level. His timing and movement is different to everyone else's - there's nothing you can do about it."

"He is a player who just has a different technique than the others."

Messi, 31, made his Champions League bow in December 2004 and initially outscored Ronaldo. Indeed, at the end of the 2011-12 season Messi had scored 13 more goals in the competition.

But Ronaldo's relentless scoring rate - he scored at least 10 times in every season from 2011-12 to 2017-18 - saw the Portuguese open up his current lead.

Messi's 108 goals have come in 132 appearances.

Feasible? Of course. But can you see Ronaldo stopping any time soon?