A riveting subplot has developed in the UEFA Champions League. The two greatest forwards of the age -- Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo -- have long surpassed Raúl González's goals total in the competition and, by the end of the 2014/15 season, the stars were level on 77.
Ronaldo, who subsequently struck a group-stage record 11 times last term and ended with 16 goals for the campaign, one off his own competition record, pulled ten clear of the Argentinian but Messi's hat-trick against Celtic and Ronaldo's strike against his first club, Sporting CP, means the scoreline currently stands at 94“86. For overall UEFA club competition goals it is 97-89.
* Messi has only been on the losing side twice when he has scored
* Ronaldo has netted twice or more on 25 different occasions
* Messi leads Ronaldo 6-5 in hat-tricks
* Ronaldo did not score until his 30th game in the competition
* Ronaldo has now netted in both round of 16 legs five seasons running
* Both players have hit the target once in two separate finals
Most hat-tricks in Champions League history
Player No. of hat-tricks
Lionel Messi (Barcelona) 6
Cristiano Ronaldo (Man Utd, Real Madrid) 5
Mario Gomez (Bayern Munich) 3
Filippo Inzaghi (Juventus, AC Milan) 3
Luiz Adriano (Shakhtar Donetsk) 3
