Despite having left Europe three years ago, Lionel Messi left an indelible legacy during his tenure at Barcelona, setting records across every major competition. However, his Argentine National Team colleague and Atletico Madrid forward, Julian Alvarez, has managed to break a Champions League benchmark the current Inter Miami captain had established years ago.
Following the latest matchday in the prestigious European tournament, Alvarez officially became the Argentine player with the most goals scored in the Champions League through his first 30 matches. In that span of contests, the Atletico Madrid forward has scored 17 goals, one more than Messi, who had reached 16 goals with Barcelona in the same timeframe.
In this specific Top 5 ranking, Alvarez leads Messi by a single goal. Sergio Aguero sits in third place with 14 goals, followed by Hernan Crespo (13) and Lisandro Lopez (13).
Alvarez reached this milestone after scoring against Union Saint-Gilloise of Belgium in his team’s 3-1 victory. Within these 30 Champions League matches, the Argentine striker has already secured one Champions League title with Manchester City.
Julian Alvarez celebrates after scoring against Union Saint-Gilloise. (Getty Images)
Looking ahead this season, manager Diego “Cholo” Simeone and Alvarez will seek to finish among the top eight in the group stage to qualify directly for the Round of 16. Atletico Madrid are currently sitting in 17th position, placing them in the playoff spot for a place in the next stage.
Some of Messi’s undefeated European records
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Despite having departed Europe three years ago, several records established by Lionel Messi with Barcelona remain intact:
- The Argentine star is still the youngest player to score 50 goals in the Champions League, achieving the feat at 24 years and 284 days old.
- Messi also remains the highest scorer in the competition before turning 26, having notched 57 goals. However, Erling Haaland is closing in on this record, as the Norwegian boasts 54 goals at age 25 and will not turn 26 until July 21, 2026, meaning he has ample time to score three more goals.
- Outside of the Champions League, Messi holds major records such as having the longest scoring streak in the history of Europe’s top leagues, scoring in 21 consecutive matches.
- He also holds the record for the most goals scored in a single season (club and country combined) with 82 goals during the 2011-12 season for Barcelona and Argentina.
Time in Europe continues to pass without Messi, yet some of his most historic benchmarks are still standing, constantly proving why the Argentine is hailed as one of the greatest players in soccer history. Only time will tell if someone is truly capable of breaking these monstrous marks.
