Bernardo Silva breaks Van Nistelrooy record with first Real Madrid Champions League goal

Bernardo Silva marked his first Real Madrid goal in the Champions League by setting a new age record and joining an exclusive group of players who have scored both against and for the Spanish club in the competition.

The Portugal international opened the scoring in Real Madrid’s 4-1 victory over Leipzig on Wednesday, in the third round of the league phase. His finish was the first time he had found the net for the club in the Champions League.

According to Opta, Silva was 32 years and 72 days old when he scored. That made him the oldest foreign player to score his first Champions League goal for Real Madrid.

He surpassed the previous record held by Ruud van Nistelrooy, who was 30 years and 87 days old when he scored his first goal for the club in the competition against Dynamo Kyiv in September 2006.

Silva’s achievement also placed him in a select group identified by Spanish statistician MisterChip. He became only the sixth player to score for Real Madrid in the Champions League after previously scoring against them in the competition while representing another club.

Van Nistelrooy was the first name on the list, having scored against Real Madrid during his time at Manchester United. David Beckham also scored against the Spanish side for Manchester United before later finding the net for Real Madrid.

The group also includes Alvaro Morata, who scored against Real Madrid while playing for Juventus, and Kylian Mbappe, who did so as a Paris Saint-Germain player.

Antonio Rudiger completed the original five, having scored against Real Madrid during his spell with Chelsea. Silva joined them after previously scoring against the club with Manchester City.

His goal against Leipzig therefore carried significance beyond the opening strike in Real Madrid’s win. It gave him a place alongside five high-profile figures in Champions League history and added a second notable record to his first European goal for the club.