Sport
Chelsea star Kai Havertz breaks Lionel Messi 11-year record with Club World Cup winner
Chelsea star Kai Havertz has broken Lionel Messi’s 11-year record with his Club World Cup winning goal against Palmeiras on Saturday.
Havertz netted the winner in the 2020/2021 Champions League final and also scored in the FIFA Club World Cup final on Saturday to break an 11-year record held by former Barcelona ace Messi.
The Germany international was the hero for Thomas Tuchel’s side on Saturday as his 117th-minute penalty was all the Blues needed to win their title of the season.
Romelu Lukaku gave the Blues the lead early in the second but the Brazilian side cancelled out the goal with Raphael Veiga’s penalty for the South American champions
But Havertz shot the decisive spot-kick in the final after the ball struck the arm of defender Luan Garcia, who was sent off three minutes later.
Havartz scored the only goal of the game last May when Chelsea beat Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the Champions League final.
His penalty goal against Palmeiras on Saturday means he has broken an 11-year record held by Lionel Messi.
Messi was the last player to net in the finals of both the Champions League and subsequent Club World Cup, back in 2011.
The Argentine superstar scored in that year’s Champions League final as Barcelona beat Manchester United 3-1.
Messi went on to score again in the Club World Cup final, bagging a brace in the 4-0 demolition of Brazilian club Santos.
Until Havertz broke the record on Saturday, no other player had scored in a combination of the Champions League and Club World Cup finals in over a decade.