'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Lionel Messi is a Champions League behemoth. He is one of only two players to score over 100 goals in the competition.
On Tuesday, the Argentine opened his account for Paris Saint-Germain in a marquee Champions League game against Manchester City at the Parc des Princes. The former Barcelona man rolled back the years with a sensational strike against the visitors to rubberstamp PSG's win on the night.
It was his first goal scored for a club not called Barcelona. But Lionel Messi is no stranger to playing against Premier League teams. In fact, his goal last night was his seventh against the Sky Blues, making them one of his favourite teams in Europe.
Trending
On that note, here's a look at the five clubs Messi has scored the most goals against in the UEFA Champions League:
#5 Manchester City - 7 goals (7 games)
Messi's tally of seven goals against Manchester City makes the Sky Blues his second-favourite English side.
Before last night, all of the Argentine's previous six efforts came in Barcelona colours. That started with a goal apiece in both legs of the last-16 tie in the 2013-14 season.
After firing a blank the next season at the same stage, Messi made amends in the group stage of the 2016-17 campaign. He scored a hat-trick to spoil Pep Guardiola's return to the Camp Nou again.
In the second leg at the Etihad, Messi was on target again. But the Sky Blues gained some measure of revenge with a 3-1 win over the La Liga giants. However, City were once again at the receiving end against Messi on Tuesday.
#4 Bayer Leverkusen - 7 goals (3 games)
Messi has played against six German sides. But his most prolific goalscoring spree against a Bundesliga team has come against Bayer Leverkusen. Messi has scored seven goals against them in just three games.
That includes his famous five-goal haul in 2012, which made Messi the first player to score five times in a Champions League game. That feat has been emulated only once since then.
The Argentine was also on target in the first leg against Leverkusen in Barcelona's 10-2 aggregate win that year. Messi later returned to haunt them again in 2015. In a group-stage game, Messi netted a sizzling strike at the BayArena to help Barcelona secure a 1-1 draw.
#3 AC Milan - 8 goals (8 games)
Messi has scored a lot of goals against AC Milan in the Champions League. That's unsurprising because between 2011 and 2014, Barcelona and Milan locked horns on eight occasions. Messi featured in all eight games, bagging as many goals.
One of his more famous goals against Milan came in the Round of 16 in the 2012-13 season. Messi scored a first-half brace, helping the Blaugrana overhaul a 2-0 first-leg deficit with a resounding 4-0 win at Camp Nou.
Milan have not been in the Champions League for seven years, which means it's been a while Messi has met the Rossoneri. But with the Serie A side back on the European stage, it may not be too long before he renews acquaintances with them.
#2 Celtic - 8 goals (6 games)
Scottish powerhouse Celtic have been regulars in the Champions League. But one team they often came up against more often than most was Lionel Messi's Barcelona.
Messi's first game against the Hoops was in 2008, where he scored a brace to help his team return from Glasgow with a 3-2 victory. The Argentine's more recent exploits against Celtic are well-documented, though.
He scored the only goal for the Blaugrana in Celtic's shock 2-1 group-stage win in 2012. After missing the two group-stage games in 2013-14 season, Messi came back to haunt Celtic in 2016.
Drawn in the same group for the third time in five years, Messi scored five times in two games against them. That included a superb hat-trick in Barcelona's resounding 7-0 win at the Camp Nou.
#1 Arsenal - 9 goals (6 games)
The only good thing about being absent from the Champions League for Arsenal is not having to face Messi, who has been their kryptonite. No player has scored more goals against the Gunners in the Champions League than Lionel Messi.
In six games against the north London side, Messi has netted nine goals, including a blistering four-goal salvo in 2010.
He followed that up with two more strikes the next year, helping the Blaugrana pull off a small remontada. Messi then scored thrice more during Barcelona's last-16 game against Arsenal in 2016.
