Five Cristiano Ronaldo records Lionel Messi can now break

Bengaluru, January 5: Cristiano Ronaldo's decision to leave European football may have handed his rival Lionel Messi big chance to surpass some of his proudest records in Europe.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has officially been unveiled as a player for Saudi Arabia-based club Al Nassr as he starts a new chapter of his life.

But, opting for the Asian side means one of the best players in the history of the game will no longer compete at the top level in Europe.

Across his stints with Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus, the 37-year-old has managed to create numerous records.

Some of his records, though, might not stay intact for much longer because of his exit from the top tier of European competition and is now expected to play out his remaining years in the Saudi Pro League.

If so it will surely hand his old rival Messi a good chance of surpassing it. Here we have taken a look at such five records that Messi could break in the upcoming time:

Most goals in European club football

Ronaldo currently holds the record for most goals scored by a player in European clubs with a massive 701 club goals in all competitions to his name. Messi is just six behind him in this chase and the ongoing season could easily see him edge past that record.

Most goals in the European top five league

Ronaldo also has a record 495 league goals playing for Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus. Messi sits just eight behind it with his stints at Barcelona and Paris Saint Germain. If not this season, the Little Argentine is almost certain to break it next term.

Most Champions League Goals

Ronaldo is the top scorer in Champions League history with 140 goals, while Messi has 129 top tier European goals to his name. The Argentinian has closed the gap this season and is likely to break it next season or the season after if he competes in Europe till then.

Champions League Assists

Ronaldo also has one more assist (41) than Messi (40) in the Champions League and this record is expected to change very soon.

More international goals

This is a comparatively tough record for the little Argentine to break with Ronaldo sitting 20 goals ahead of him with 118 goals for Portugal. However, if the next Selecao boss decided to start afresh without Ronaldo in the national team and Messi continues to maintain the same form in the national shirt, this record could also be broken.