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Barcelona logo
Champions League | Group Stage
Sep 18, 2013 at 7.45pm UK
 
Ajax

4-0

Messi (22', 55', 75'), Pique (69')
FT(HT: 1-0)

Lionel Messi puts Champions League title first

Lionel Messi says he would prefer to win the Champions League with Barcelona to beating Raul's all-time goals record in the competition.

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has admitted that he is not bothered by personal records as he wants his team to win the Champions League this season.

The Argentine netted a hat-trick on Wednesday night as Barca opened their new European campaign with a 4-0 win over Ajax at Camp Nou in Group H.

Messi is now just nine goals short of Raul's all-time record in the competition, but the 26-year-old has insisted that he is not thinking about individual achievements.

"Obviously I am pleased that tonight makes it 62 UEFA Champions League goals but above that is the result and how our team played," Messi told reporters. "I thought this was a very good Ajax side, always attempting to play football, to win the ball off us and to keep it.

"So to get a win of this margin has been a good night's work. It was good to play against a rival who wanted to compete in pure football terms with us. That will have made it a good game to watch. The idea of overtaking Raul at the top of the all-time Champions League scoring charts is a fine challenge, but it is not essential.

"We, as a team, have other more important objectives. For example, to get as far as we are capable of in this competition. To try to win it again. Whether the right number of goals come for me this season or not is not so important."

Barcelona travel to Rayo Vallecano in La Liga on Saturday.

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Barcelona's Lionel Messi celebrates with team mates after scoring the his team's fourth goal against Ajax during their Champions League group match on September 18, 2013
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Group A

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Germany Germany32107
Q Switzerland Switzerland31205
3 Hungary Hungary31023
4 Scotland flag Scotland30121

Group B

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Q Spain Spain33009
Q Italy Italy31114
3 Croatia Croatia30212
4 Albania national flag Albania30121

Group C

TeamPWDLPTS
Q England flag England31205
Q Denmark Denmark30303
Q Slovenia Slovenia30303
4 Serbia Serbia30212

Group D

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Q Austria Austria32016
Q France France31205
Q Netherlands Netherlands31114
4 Poland Poland30121

Group E

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Q Romania Romania31114
Q Belgium Belgium31114
Q Slovakia Slovakia31114
4 Ukraine Ukraine31114

Group F

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Q Portugal Portugal32016
Q Turkey Turkey32016
Q Georgia Georgia31114
4 Czech Republic Czech Republic30121


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