Barcelona skipper Lionel Messi has leaped to second on the club's all-time list of players with the most appearances in the UEFA Champions League.
The 32-year-old forward was named in the starting eleven for the Round of 16 second leg tie with Lyon and, as a result, went one game better than former teammate Andres Iniesta who accrued 130 outings in his career.
At the moment, another former captain of the Blaugrana Xavi Hernandez sits atop the list. The Spaniard amassed 151 matches in the European cup competition between 1998 and 2015.
Meanwhile, Barcelona will hope that Messi's inclusion will yield a better outcome this time around having drawn 0-0 away to Lyon in the first leg. Evidently, the essence of the Argentine forward's inclusion cannot be overemphasized considering he remains the club's highest goalscorer in the competition with 106 goals.
Interestingly, Barca has failed to progress in each of its last 10 Champions League knockout ties as a result of Lionel Messi being unable to score in those matches.
0 - Lionel Messi has failed to score in each of his last 10 @ChampionsLeague knockout ties in which Barcelona were eliminated. Necessary. pic.twitter.com/3V8ZA2P79w
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) March 13, 2019
