Who are Lionel Messi’s favourite opponents?

Inter are next up for Barcelona; is that good news for Lionel Messi?

• Messi has scored 115 goals in 11,500 minutes of European football; that’s a goal every 100 minutes.

• The Argentinian has faced 40 different clubs in Europe (from 16 countries), failing to score against five: Atlético Madrid, Benfica, Inter, Rubin Kazan and Udinese.

• Atlético are the side Messi has gone longest without scoring against: 360 minutes in UEFA competition.

• Chelsea are the side Messi has played the most minutes against (835 minutes across ten matches); he did not score in his first 730 minutes against the Blues, but struck three times in two games against them in 2017/18.

• The keeper who has gone the longest without conceding against Messi in Europe is Inter’s Júlio César – 270 minutes – though Rubin Kazan’s Sergei Ryzhikov may feel he has the moral right to that title. He has been unbeaten in 237 minutes against Messi; that run took in four matches, as opposed to Júlio César’s three.

• Alisson Becker came within 15 minutes of taking that honour from compatriot Júlio César before Messi struck his first of the 2018/19 semi-final as the Brazilian stopper did not concede against Messi for Roma in last season’s quarter-final. Within seven minutes Messi had managed another.

• Messi has scored more goals against Arsenal than any other team in UEFA competition – nine in 447 minutes comprising six games. On average, that’s a goal every 49 minutes and 40 seconds.

• The Blaugrana man’s most amenable opponents may have been Bayer Leverkusen: Messi has hit seven goals in 270 minutes against them, at a rate of one every 38 minutes and 34 seconds. Five of those strikes famously came in one match, a 7-1 win on 7 March 2012.