Lionel Messi's Champions League Journey Ends, but His Goal Stands Above All: A Recap of His Spectacular Strike against Benfica

 Lionel Messi's Champions League Journey Ends, but His Goal Stands Above All: A Recap of His Spectacular Strike against Benfica

Messi's Goal Stands Above All

Lionel Messi's Champions League chapter ended informally. After leaving PSG and joining Inter Miami, Messi will no longer participate in the European elite competition. The possibility of playing in the Champions League again after changing clubs in the future seems unlikely due to age and circumstances. However, even after his departure, Messi has secured another accolade. He had the best goal in the Champions League last season. Neymar didn't assist him in that goal.

Messi hasn't had a great few seasons in the Champions League. Since the 2014-15 season, he hasn't won the tournament with Barcelona. Even after leaving Barcelona for PSG in 2021, his luck didn't change. He had two unsuccessful seasons with the club from Paris. PSG's run ended in the second round in the last season, losing to Bayern Munich.

The Goal of the Tournament results are in... 🥁

Congrats, Leo Messi! 👏#UCLGOTT | @Heineken pic.twitter.com/I4JDZF9xN1

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) June 30, 2023

Despite such disappointments, Messi received recognition for the season's best goal. Supporters chose Messi's goal scored in the return leg of the round of 16 against Benfica, where he scored in the 22nd minute. Vinicius Junior received recognition for the second-best goal. He scored for Real Madrid against Manchester City in the first leg of the semifinals at Santiago Bernabeu. Erling Haaland's goal against Borussia Dortmund in the group stage, where he broke the offside trap, received recognition as the third-best goal. Football analysts, however, chose Haaland's goal as their best selection.

In that match on September 5 last year, Benfica attempted to attack in the first half. However, Sergio Ramos intercepted the ball from one of Benfica's players near the penalty box. Ramos tried to pass the ball to Asraf Hakimi, the former Spanish captain. Benfica's defense was near Messi, who advanced a little and passed the ball to Bernardo Silva, who was close to the defense. Messi accelerated before the two defenders and scored a fantastic shot into the top left corner of the goal. It can be said that PSG obtained a fantastic goal in the combination of "MNM," although they couldn't win that match. In the first half, the match ended in a 1-1 draw for Benfica.