Did Mbappe outshine Messi? Ex-Madrid star’s brace makes UCL record books go wild
Kylian Mbappe scored two goals for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the UEFA Champions League 2022-23 campaign opener against Juventus on Tuesday night.
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) kicked off their UEFA Champions League 2022-23 season on Tuesday night with a 2-1 win against Italian giants Juventus at the Parc des Princes. 23-year-old Kylian Mbappe scored a brace in the game for PSG and became one of the biggest highlights of matchday 1. Mbappe’s second goal in the 22nd minute marked his 35th overall goal in the UCL, which also placed him above his PSG teammate Lionel Messi in a unique book of Champions League records.
Mbappe becomes the youngest player to complete 35 UCL goals
Mbappe became the youngest footballer to register 35 Champions League goals at the age of 23 years and 260 days. The Argentine great Messi sits second in the record books, having registered his 35th UCL goal at the age of 23 years and 307 days. Meanwhile, the list also includes the Portuguese football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and Frenchman Karim Benzema.
Age of footballers at 35th UEFA Champions League goal:
Kylian Mbappé: 23 years, 260 days
Leo Messi: 23 years, 307 days
Raúl González: 25 years, 82 days
Karim Benzema: 26 years, 69 days
Thomas Müller: 26 years, 185 days
Cristiano Ronaldo: 27 years, 59 days
Neymar assisted Mbappe’s first goal
Coming back to the PSG vs Juventus game, Mbappe handed the reigning Ligue 1 champions the lead, five minutes into the match after converting an assist from Neymar. Neymar lobbed the ball over the top and into the six-yard box, as Mbappe smashed the ball past the goalkeeper. The French youngster completed his brace in the 22nd minute, courtesy of an assist from Achraf Hakimi. Going ahead in the second half, Weston McKennie’s strike for Juventus took the scoreline to 2- 1.
What else happened on UEFA Champions League 2022-23 matchday 1?
Alongside PSG, Premier League 2021-22 reigning champions Manchester City also kicked off their UCL campaign with a 0-4 away win against Sevilla. Erling Haaland scored twice for City in the 20th and 67th minute as Phil Foden and Ruben Dias also found themselves among goal scorers. Meanwhile, defending champions Real Madrid won 3-0 against Celtic in an away fixture.
The UCL 2021-22 winners were off to a great start to the season, but the match also marked an injury for Karim Benzema. The Madrid captain was forced off the pitch with a knee problem in the 30th minute of the game. However, his replacement Eden Hazard went on to score the team’s final goal in the 77th minute, after Vini Jr. and Luka Modric’s goal handed Madrid a 2-0 lead.
