Lionel Messi is one of the greatest players of all time and he’s still doing it at the highest level. The Argentinian forward spent all of his professional career at FC Barcelona before finally joining French club Paris Saint Germain last summer.

While there has been a slight drop in his performances for PSG, Messi still has been good for the club. He won his seventh Ballon d’Or last year and has been in top form in the UCL for PSG. Moreover, Messi will need to keep that form up as PSG currently face Real Madrid in the second leg of their UCL Round-of-16 tie.

PSG won the first match by a score of 1-0 courtesy of a last-minute Kylian Mbappe wondergoal, and the tie is anything but over. However, if there’s one man who can score against the Los Blancos, it’s Lionel Messi.

Messi and his goals against Real Madrid for FC Barcelona

Messi spent almost 18 years in the Spanish top flight, and hence, played against Real Madrid a lot. He has played 29 league games against the Los Blancos and has helped himself to 18 goals and 9 assists in the El Clasicos. The Argentinian forward has won 14 of those 29 games and almost has a goal contribution every single match.

This tally is even more impressive when you consider that in all competitions, Messi has played 45 games against Madrid. He has scored 26 goals in that time, adding 14 assists to his name too. Moreover, he has also scored two hattricks against the club, making sure that he is a nightmare for Madrid fans.

Lionel Messi and his performances in the UCL

Messi was relatively quiet in the first leg against Madrid, as Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti had Casemiro marking Messi closely at all times. However, his class was still visible, and it’ll be interesting to see what he can do in the second leg.

Prior to that game, the former FC Barcelona man played in 5 UCL group stage games and scored five goals; an outstanding level of output for someone who is having a bad season domestically. Now, only time will tell if Messi can take PSG all the way, and win them their first UEFA Champions League title.

Read More: Cristiano Ronaldo Flew Home to Portugal After Being Left Out of Manchester United Squad in Derby