Lionel Messi overtakes Cristiano Ronaldo to top Champions League hat-trick list
By Oliver Yew
Lionel Messi has now scored the most hat-tricks in Champions League history after his treble against Celtic took him past Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo.
And Barca coach Luis Enrique was full of praise for the 29-year-old.
"Messi's the best player in the world, at whatever position he plays," Enrique said. "Messi is total football."
Ronaldo has the chance to respond when Real Madrid take on Sporting Lisbon in their Champions League opener at the Bernabeu on Wednesday.
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Most hat-tricks in Champions League history
Player
Teams
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
Adriano
Inter Milan
2
Karim Benzema
Lyon, Real Madrid
2
Andy Cole
Manchester United
2
Didier Drogba
Marseille, Chelsea
2
Samuel Eto'o
Barcelona, Internazionale
2
Roy Makaay
Deportivo La Coruna, Bayern Munich
2
Michael Owen
Liverpool, Manchester United
2
Marco Simone
Milan, Monaco
2
Andriy Shevchenko
Dynamo Kiev, AC Milan
2
Ruud van Nistelrooy
PSV, Man Utd
2
Roberto Soldado
Valencia
2
Robert Lewandowski
Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich
2
The Portugal international does top one list though as he is the current top scorer in Champions League and European Cup history with 93 goals to his name, plus one he scored in qualifying.
European Cup/Champions League all-time top scorers (inc. qualifying goals)
Player
Teams
Goals
Cristiano Ronaldo
94
Lionel Messi
Barcelona
86
Raul
Real Madrid, Schalke
71
Ruud van Nistlerooy
PSV, Man Utd, Real Madrid
60
Andriy Shevchenko
Dynamo Kiev, AC Milan, Chelsea
59
Thierry Henry
Monaco, Arsenal, Barcelona
51
Filippo Inzaghi
Juventus, AC Milan
50
Alfredo di Stefano
Real Madrid
49
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Ajax, Juventus, Inter, Barcelona, AC Milan, PSG
49
Eusebio
Benfica
47
Barcelona rival, Messi is in second spot on the list with 86 while Real Madrid legend Raul scored 71.