England midfielder Jude Bellingham has already written his name into the history books, breaking a Real Madrid Champions League Record. The 20-year-old became the first player in history to score in each of his first four Champions League appearances for Real Madrid in Wednesday’s 4-2 victory over Napoli in Group C.
Bellingham has been in phenomenal form since moving to Madrid from Borussia Dortmund in the summer, in a move worth £88 million. Last season, he managed 14 goals in all competitions for the Bundesliga side, but has already surpassed that tally this campaign after just 16 games.
With so much attention on the young superstar, we have compared his sensational goalscoring form with some of the biggest names in the sport.
Could Bellingham Outscore Messi?
Regarded by many as the greatest player of all time, Lionel Messi took 14 games to score his first four Champions League goals for Barcelona. The Argentine captain didn’t score until his fifth Champions League game, in a 5-0 win against Panathinaikos in 2005, a game in which he also bagged an assist.
Following a glittering 17-year career in La Liga, Messi then moved to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 in one of the highest-profile transfers in history. While he did manage three goals in his first four Champions League matches for PSG, he failed to score on debut against Club Brugge. Messi scored nine goals in 14 games over two years in Paris before joining MLS side Inter Miami for this season.
During his 19-years in the Champions League, Messi scored 129 goals in 163 appearances.
How Many Champions League Goals Does Cristiano Ronaldo Have?
It took Portuguese icon Cristiano Ronaldo 27 Champions League games for Manchester United before his first goals. He then grabbed a brace and an assist in a 7-1 thrashing of AS Roma at Old Trafford. Ronaldo scored his fourth Champions League goal in his 30th appearance, an 87th-minute winner against boyhood club Sporting CP in 2007.
Upon his arrival at Real Madrid in 2009, Ronaldo scored twice in both of his first two Champions League games. An ankle injury then halted his momentum and meant he missed both of Madrid’s group stage clashes with AC Milan that year. A goalless return against FC Zurich was followed by another brace against Marseille, but meant he did not achieve Bellingham’s record for consecutive goals on debut for Madrid.
But with 140 in 183 Champions League appearances, Ronaldo is the competition’s all-time record scorer. Furthermore, Ronaldo also holds the record for scoring in the most consecutive Champions League appearances. He scored in an incredible 11 straight games, stretching from the 2017 final through to the 2018 quarter-finals for a total of 17 goals.
Will Erling Haaland Break The Champions League Goal Record?
Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland scored in each of his first five Champions League matches for RB Salzburg in 2019. A hat-trick on his competition debut against Belgian club KRC Genk in a 6-2 win was followed by another goal at Anfield in a 4-3 defeat to Liverpool. He then scored three in two against Napoli before another away at Genk, netting a return of eight in his first five in the competition.
Moving to Borussia Dortmund in January of that season, he scored 12 in his first eight Champions League games for the club, but failed to get on the scoresheet against PSG in his second game for the German side.
He scored five in his first three after joining Manchester City last season and is in fine form again this campaign. The Norwegian international has five in five so far in 23/24.
In just six years, Haaland has bagged 40 goals in 35 Champions League appearances to date, with no sign of slowing down. At this rate, he would surpass Ronaldo’s tally with 209 goals after 183 games.
How Does Bellingham Compare To Kylian Mbappe?
French wonder kid and double World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe failed to score in his first three appearances for AS Monaco in the Champions League. He quickly made up for this though with five goals in four straight matches in 2017.
Mbappe then moved to PSG the following season, scoring on debut against Celtic. He could only manage an assist in round two as his side beat Bayern Munich 3-0, but did finish the season with eight goals in 16 games that year.
Still only 24 years old, Mbappe now has 43 goals in 66 games, and has three in five this season.
Who has the record for consecutive Champions League goals from debut?
Ivory Coast international Sébastien Haller holds the record for scoring in the most consecutive games on debut in the Champions League. The French-born striker, now at Dortmund, scored in each of his first seven matches in the competition for Ajax in 2012/22.
Three players have managed to score in their first five Champions League games, one being Haaland for Salzburg in 2019. The other two are Alessandro del Piero for Juventus in 1995/96 and Diego Costa for Atlético Madrid in 2013/14.
While Jude Bellingham will never be able to challenge these records having played previously in the competition for Dortmund, he is well on the way to breaking many more should he maintain his incredible form. With 10 goals in 27 Champions League games, Bellingham would end up with 67 goals at his current rate should he match Ronaldo’s 183 appearances. But with four in four at Real Madrid so far, he looks set to surpass this total comfortably on current form.
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