Bernardo Silva matches Messi’s record in UCL. The star of Manchester City, Bernardo Silva, tied a record set by Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski on Wednesday (May 17) at the Etihad Stadium with a pair of goals against Real Madrid in the first half of the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinal.
Silva is currently just the third player to score at least twice in a Champions League semi-final matchup versus Real Madrid. Lionel Messi accomplished this when he scored two goals, one solo and one from close range, in the first leg of the 2010–11 Champions League semifinal at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The other athlete to do so is Robert Lewandowski. At Signal Idula Park, he scored four goals in the first leg of the semifinal match of the 2012–13 Champions League. The Polish striker led Borussia Dortmund, his old team, to a spectacular 4-1 home victory in the first leg.
Meanwhile, Bernardo Silva scored the game’s first goal at the Etihad in the 23rd minute with a powerful left-footed shot that hit the near post. That happened after the home team exerted consistent pressure for a while, with Real Madrid rarely touching the ball in the early going.
With a header in the 37th minute, Silva increased his team’s advantage. At the halfway point, Madrid is down 3-1 overall and needs to score twice without giving up to force overtime.
Lionel Messi was recently listed as one of Bernardo Silva’s choices for the Ballon d’Or:
Recent predictions for the 2023 Ballon d’Or have included Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, and Vinicius Junior from Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva. Messi is once again a potential winner of the prized award.
The Argentine is a strong candidate to win a record-extending seventh Ballon d’Or trophy after leading his team to victory at the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup. Silva stated to L’Equipe:
“If Haaland wins the league and the CL, you can discuss Vini Jr. in the Ballon d’Or debate, and if Madrid wins the CL, you can also talk about Vini Jr., but in general, it is between Messi and the champion, and so far, I’m going to award it to Messi.”
Messi last claimed victory in 2021. Karim Benzema of Real Madrid currently holds the honor after winning it in 2022.
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