How many champions league has Messi won?

Lionel Messi is often regarded as one of the finest footballers in the history of the sport. The Argentine maestro has broken records in both La Liga and on the international stage, and also won his first World Cup in 2022. Another prestigious football tournament, the Champions League, is a tournament that Messi has a lot of experience in, having played in this tournament for many years at Barcelona, ​​​​as well as in Paris with Paris Saint Germain. In this article, let’s find out with Kingsoccertips the answer to the question “How many champions league has Messi won?”.

How many Champions League titles has Messi won?

Lionel Messi has won 4 Champions League titles, all while playing for Barcelona. He won the titles in the following seasons:

2005/06
2008/09
2010/11
2014/15

Messi wins the Champions League

2005/06

Lionel Messi’s first Champions League title came in the 2005/06 season, when he was just 18 years old. He was still trying to break into Frank Rijkaard’s starting XI, having only scored nine goals for the first team at the time.

Unfortunately for Messi, he suffered an injury in the round of 16 tie against Chelsea, which kept him out of the final against Arsenal. He was also not fit enough to be called up to the bench, so Messi had to watch the game as a spectator.

Barcelona won the match 2-1, thanks to goals from Samuel Eto’o and Juliano Belletti. This meant that Messi won his first Champions League without ever playing in the final. He recalls the moment as bittersweet, as he deliberately avoided celebrating with his teammates after the game out of frustration over his injury.

He believed he might not get the chance to play in a Champions League final again and wanted to at least be on the bench that night in France.

2008/09

Well, it just so happened that Messi did get his chance to play in the Champions League final, and this came just three years later in the 2008/09 season. This time, Messi was fit enough to start the final against Manchester United, playing as a right winger in a 4-3-3 formation under Pep Guardiola.

Barcelona were designated as the ‘home’ team for the final, which meant they could decide what kit they would wear. They chose to wear Barcelona’s traditional home strip, blue and red.

Barcelona didn’t take long to take control of the game, and once again it was the man himself, Samuel Eto’o, who got on the scoresheet. The Cameroon striker opened the scoring in the 10th minute of the final.

After leading 1-0 at half-time, Barcelona doubled their lead in the second half, with Lionel Messi getting the moment he had been waiting for. In the 70th minute, Xavi crossed the ball into the box, which went over Rio Ferdinand’s head, allowing Messi to head home a stunning goal past goalkeeper Edwin Van Der Sar.

Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates could only look on in disbelief as Barcelona won 2-0. Messi was awarded the fans’ man of the match award that night, with 62,467 in attendance.

2010/11

Messi’s third Champions League trophy came just two seasons later, with a repeat of the 2008/09 final against Manchester United. The 2010/11 Champions League final was played at Wembley Stadium, with over 87,000 people in attendance that night.

With Manchester United looking to exact revenge on the Catalans after the 2008/09 final, they lined up in a 4-4-1-1 formation under manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Barcelona, ​​on the other hand, lined up in their traditional 4-3-3, again under Pep Guardiola, however this time Lionel Messi was deployed as a false nine.

Spanish winger Pedro opened the scoring in the 27th minute, but Manchester United responded immediately, with England international Wayne Rooney netting in the 34th. Messi then scored his second goal in the Champions League final, beating Van Der Sar with a powerful shot from just outside the box.

David Villa added Barcelona’s third in the 69th minute, sealing the game and meaning Barcelona had won their third Champions League title in just six seasons. Messi earned the title of man of the match in the final.

2014/15

The 2014/15 Champions League final saw Barcelona take on another of their rivals, Juventus. The final was played at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, with 70,442 people in attendance that night.

Barcelona were now playing under the guidance of Luis Enrique, a coach who had previously managed Barcelona’s B team. Once again, Barcelona lined up in a 4-3-3 formation with Messi joined by Brazilian master Neymar and Luis Suárez in the final third.

The Catalans took the lead after just four minutes of the final, courtesy of a goal from Croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitić. They had led 1-0 at half-time, but Juventus were forced to equalise in the 55th minute. This was the only goal Juventus scored, however, with Barcelona adding a second through Suárez and then a third in the 7th minute of stoppage time through Neymar.

Messi didn’t score a goal that night, but we’re sure he’ll leave the German capital happy after adding a fourth Champions League title to his long list of footballing honours.

How many goals has Messi scored in a Champions League final?

Lionel Messi has scored two goals in a Champions League final:

• 1 against Manchester United in 2008/09.
• 1 against Manchester United in 2010/11.

Messi’s Champions League Records

Now that we’ve established how many Champions Leagues Messi has won, let’s take a look at his Champions League achievements. The Argentine is not short of footballing achievements and has some impressive records to his name in Europe’s most prestigious tournament.

Messi currently holds the following Champions League records:

• The highest number of goals scored in the Champions League group stage.
• The record for most goals in the Champions League round of 16.
• Most goals for a single club (Barcelona) in the Champions League.
• Most goals scored in consecutive Champions League seasons.

Most goals in the Champions League group stage

Messi holds the record for most goals in the Champions League group stage, having scored 80 goals while playing for PSG. He has scored 71 of these goals while playing for Barcelona.

Most goals in the Champions League round of 16

When it comes to the round of 16, Messi also holds the record, having scored 29 goals at this stage of the competition over the years.

Most goals in the Champions League for a single club

Messi has scored 120 goals for Barcelona in the Champions League, holding the record for most goals in the Champions League for a single club.

Most goals scored in consecutive seasons in the Champions League

It is arguably Messi’s most impressive scoring record in Europe’s premier competition is scoring in the most consecutive seasons, with 18 consecutive seasons.

Champions League Head-to-Head: Messi vs Ronaldo

A common question among football enthusiasts is “Who has won more Champions League titles: Messi or Ronaldo?”. Cristiano Ronaldo has won one more Champions League title than Lionel Messi, with 5. He has won 4 with Real Madrid and 1 with Manchester United, while Messi has won 4 with Barcelona.

Will Messi win another Champions League?

There is a chance that Lionel Messi could win another Champions League, especially if he makes a symbolic move back to Barcelona. Although the Catalan giants have not won the competition since Messi last won it with them in 2014/15, they have enjoyed a resurgence under the management of former player Xavi.

Unfortunately, the Argentine striker has not had much luck in Europe with PSG, who only reached the last 16 in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons.

Conclusion

All of Lionel Messi’s Champions League titles have come in 10 finals between the 2008/09 and 2015/16 seasons. Scoring two goals in four of those finals, even though he didn’t feature in one, Messi has been the driving force behind Barcelona’s dominance in Europe. Furthermore, Messi has cemented his place in football history by breaking a number of impressive records on Europe’s biggest stage, including the record for most goals scored in consecutive Champions League tournaments.

See more: How many trophies does Messi have? His top achievements