Lionel Messi Makes 100th Champions League Appearance for Barcelona at Roma

Lionel Messi was named in the starting XI for Barcelona's clash with AS Roma on Wednesday, marking his 100th Champions League appearance.

The Blaugrana icon was left on the bench for last weekend’s clash with Atletico Madrid, but his return to the starting XI was confirmed by the club:

It’s a remarkable achievement for the diminutive forward, who will go down as one of the greatest players in the competition’s history. Messi inspired Barcelona to victory in the Champions League last season, one of three trophies Luis Enrique’s side won last term.

Luca Bruno/Associated Press

His record in the Champions League during his previous 99 outings, as we can see here courtesy of Goal UK (h/t Footy Accumulators), makes for remarkable reading:

Ahead of his centenary Champions League showing, plenty have been quick to pay tribute to the four-time winner of the competition. “Messi is not just the best player in the world,” said Enrique, per SPORT, “he is the best player in history, although I respect the opinions of others and try not to compare him with any other player.”

ODD ANDERSEN/Getty Images

“Leo is a step, or five steps, ahead of other players,” Barcelona left-back Jordi Alba gushed, per Marca. “If we're honest and leave aside the teams we support, there is no comparison. I think Leo Messi is the best player in the world.”

It’s no wonder Messi’s team-mates adore him. As we can see here courtesy of BarcaStat, he’s been a prolific creator in the Champions League too:

Messi was the joint-top scorer in the competition’s history heading into Tuesday’s round of group-stage matches, but a hat-trick from Cristiano Ronaldo moved the Real Madrid man three clear, onto a whopping 80 goals overall.

But given his remarkable pedigree in this competition, you wouldn’t write off the Barca star going level again on this landmark occasion.