Lionel Messi becomes the first EVER player to score in 16 straight Champions League seasons after penalty against Ferencvaros, with Barcelona star clear of his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo on 14… but Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema can draw level tonight
- Lionel Messi opened the scoring as Barcelona thrashed Ferencvaros on Tuesday
- He has set another record, scoring in 16 straight Champions League seasons
- Argentine moves clear of Karim Benzema, who has netted consecutively in 15
- Messi first scored in a 5-0 victory over Panathinaikos back in November 2005
Lionel Messi made yet more Champions League history on Tuesday night as he became the first player to score in 16 straight seasons in the competition.
The Barcelona captain, a four-time winner of the trophy, netted a penalty as Ronald Koeman’s side eased past Ferencvaros in their opening group game at the Nou Camp.
Messi’s 27th minute penalty opened the scoring against the Hungarian outfit, before goals from Ansu Fati, Philippe Coutinho, Pedri and Ousmane Dembele put the gloss on a 5-1 rout.
Lionel Messi scored a penalty as Barcelona thrashed Ferencvaros on Tuesday night
It came 15 years after Messi first notched in the Champions League for Barca back in 2005
Messi, pictured after scoring in the 2009 final in Rome, has scored in 16 straight seasons
| Last Season In Run | Player | Consecutive Seasons Scored |
|---|---|---|
| 2020/2021 | Messi, Lionel | 16 |
| 2019/2020 | Benzema, Karim | 15 |
| 2019/2020 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 14 |
| 2010/2011 | Raúl | 14 |
| 2014/2015 | Drogba, Didier | 12 |
| 2006/2007 | Giggs, Ryan | 11 |
| 2017/2018 | Müller, Thomas | 10 |
| 2013/2014 | van Persie, Robin | 10 |
| 2008/2009 | Henry, Thierry | 10 |
| 2019/2020 | Agüero, Sergio | 9 |
| 2019/2020 | Lewandowski, Robert | 9 |
| 2015/2016 | Ibrahimovic, Zlatan | 9 |
| 2013/2014 | Lucho González | 9 |
| 2005/2006 | Luís Figo | 9 |
He has now moved clear of Karim Benzema, with the Frenchman having scored in 15 consecutive seasons in the Champions League since his first goal for Lyon in 2005.
The Real Madrid striker, however, has the chance to immediately draw back level with Messi with Zinedine Zidane’s side hosting Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednseday night.
Messi’s great rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, is now two behind having scored in 14 consecutive campaigns. The Portuguese took a while to get going in the competition, and only scored for the first time in his 30th appearance – Manchester United’s 7-1 annihilation of Roma in 2007.
Raul also netted in 14 straight seasons for Real Madrid and then Schalke. Didier Drogba managed a run of 12 for Marseille, Chelsea and Galatasaray.
Karim Benzema (left) can draw level tonight, while Cristiano Ronaldo (right) is on 14
Messi celebrates after scoring in the 3-1 victory over Manchester United in the 2011 final
Messi’s goal came almost 15 years to the day since his first, which was in another demolition job at home as Frank Rijkaard’s side hit Panathinaikos for five.
Barca went on to lift the trophy at the end of that season, with victory over Arsenal in Paris. Though Messi did not feature in the final that year, it was to be the first of four Champions League triumphs for him.
He has been stuck on four since Barcelona defeated Juventus in the 2015 final, and though Barcelona have struggled to get their hands on the trophy again, Messi’s consistency has remained.
Messi has scored 117 times now in the Champions League, with all goals coming for Barcelona
The Argentine celebrates netting against Bayern Munich in the 2015 semi-final
His strike on Tuesday night was his 117th in the competition, moving him 13 behind his great rival Ronaldo.
Ronaldo was not in action as Juventus got their campaign off to a winning start away at Dynamo Kiev, as he has was ruled out following a positive test for COVID-19.
Messi is not the only player to score in 16 different Champions League seasons, with Ryan Giggs also laying claim to that crown. However, the Manchester United legend did not achieve the feat consecutively.
Messi blows a kiss for the camera after scoring in a group game against Tottenham in 2018
