Real Madrid hosted Manchester City in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 32 matchup, carrying a 3-2 advantage from the first leg in England. The game began on a high note for the Spanish side, as Kylian Mbappe found the back of the net in just the fourth minute. With Mbappe’s quick strike, it raises the question: How do Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s fastest goals in Champions League history compare?
Lionel Messi leads the way against Mbappe and Ronaldo in this competition when it comes to rapid goals. The Argentine netted his fastest Champions League goal at 2:06 minutes into a 2018 Round of 16 clash between Barcelona and Chelsea.
Messi also boasts another lightning-fast goal in Champions League history, scoring at 2:46 during a group stage match against Slavia Prague in 2019 while still wearing the Barcelona jersey.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s quickest Champions League goal came during his time at Real Madrid. The Portuguese forward struck at the 2:48 mark of a 2018 quarterfinal matchup against Juventus.
Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid scores the opening goal during the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg One match between Juventus and Real Madrid at Allianz Stadium. (Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images)
What made Ronaldo’s goal against Juventus even more remarkable was the history it carried. Not only was it his fastest Champions League goal, but it also cemented his place as the first player to score in 10 consecutive Champions League matches. Additionally, Ronaldobecame the first player to score such an early goal against Juventus at home in the competition.
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Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe surpasses Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi with historic record
Who holds the all-time record for the fastest Champions League goal?
While Messi, Ronaldo, and Mbappe’s goals were impressively quick, none of them hold the record for the fastest goal in UEFA Champions League history. That honor belongs to Roy Makaay, who scored just 10.12 seconds into Bayern Munich’s Round of 16 second-leg match against Real Madrid during the 2006/07 season.
Following Makaay, Jonas recorded the second-fastest goal at 10.96 seconds for Valencia against Bayer Leverkusen in a 2011 group-stage match. Rounding out the top three is Gilberto Silva, who scored 20.07 seconds into Arsenal’s group-stage clash with PSV Eindhoven in 2002.
