Both Lionel Messi and Carlo Ancelotti enjoyed a milestone night in the UEFA Champions League, the pair breaking and creating new records on the second group stage matchday.
The Argentine scored again for Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night – his strike, a timely equalizer that helped the Parisians rally back and beat Maccabi Haifa 3-1 despite falling behind to an early Tjaronn Chery goal. There was a stroke of luck about how the goal came about, Mbappe’s fizzed low ball taking a deflection and landing right in front of the striker, who had the whole of the goal to aim at from close range.
His goal was important to the team, but it also held value for the individual as it allowed the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner to register important milestones, extending his legacy in Europe’s premier competition even further.
By scoring against Maccabi, Messi broke the record for most teams scored against by an individual – the Israeli outfit was the Argentine’s 39th club, one more than the previous record of 38 held jointly by him and his arch nemesis Cristiano Ronaldo. With the Manchester United striker out of the competition for at least a year, Messi’s Wednesday night milestone is in no danger of being surpassed for the time being.
The goal he scored on Wednesday was also Messi’s first of the European season. By doing so, he became the first player in history to score in 18 consecutive Champions League seasons – although he could soon be joined by Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema, who will equal the record should he score in this year’s competition.
Messi wasn’t the only individual who enjoyed a record-breaking night; Real Madrid manager Ancelotti also registered himself in history books, courtesy of his team’s late 2-0 win over German giants RB Leipzig.
Ancelotti became just the second football manager to reach 100 wins in the competition after Manchester United great Sir Alex Ferguson. Furthermore, the Italian is just three wins away from breaking the record of most successes outright in the tournament. He already holds the record for most finals reached (five) and most trophies won (four).
