Lionel Messi became just the third player to start 150 UEFA Champions League matches after Iker Casillas (176) and Cristiano Ronaldo (178).
He hit this feat after he was given a starting role by Paris Saint Germain head coach Christopher Galtier against Bayern Munich on Wednesday night, March 8.
The 35 year old Argentina international was in action for Paris Saint Germain at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night, 8th of March, 2023, as the current World Cup winner and his teammates suffered a defeat that saw them eliminated from this season’s UEFA Champions League.
The seven times Ballon D’or winner remains just one goal away from 800 career goals, while the FIFA World best men’s player award winner will have to wait to become just the second player to reach 50 Champions League knockout goals, only Cristiano Ronaldo has scored more knockout stage goals than the Argentine national team captain with 67 goals.
The 35 year old, Lionel Messi made his first appearance in the UEFA Champions League as a teenager during the 2004/2005 campaign and the former Barcelona captain has gone on to become one of the competition’s most iconic figures.
It’s been 18 years since Messi made his Champions League debut for Barcelona in a match against Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk in a group stage where the Catalan side suffered a defeat before the knockout stage, they lost to Chelsea in the quarterfinals 5-4 on aggregate, but they got to see a legend in the making that day.
Against Panathinaikos in November of 2005, he scored his first Champions League goal and went on to see more playing time the following season.
Messi has now played 162 games in the tournament, scoring 120 goals and assisting on another 38. He has also won numerous man-of-the-match awards.
Lionel Messi has managed to lay his hands on the prestigious trophy four times behind 38 year old Cristiano Ronaldo who has five Champions League medals.
Since the start of the season, the former Barcelona football club star player has been in astounding form for Paris Saint Germain football club, allowing him to score many goals for the club.
Lionel Messi has been one of the best players for the Paris Saint-Germain football club this season, and he has started many games in the center field.
Paris Saint-Germain have won their last three matches since losing to Bayern Munich FC on February 14. Their winning streak has been against the likes of LOSC Lille FC, Olympique Marseille FC, and Nantes FC.
For the Paris Saint-Germain football club, Lionel Messi has scored in each of the last three matches, first against Lille, then against Olympique Marseille, and lastly against Nantes before they got down in action against the German powerhouse.
Bayern Munich advanced to the quarterfinals of the Champions League after second-half goals from Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Serge Gnabry eliminated Paris Saint-Germain from the competition.
What’s next for Lionel Messi and PSG?
The French club will be looking forward to picking themselves up from defeat as they will be preparing to face Stade Brest in Ligue 1 on Saturday, 11th of March, 2023, by 21:00 GMT.
What’s your opinion on Lionel Messi’s 150 Champions League appearances and how they got eliminated? Share your views with us in the comment section below.
