A member of the last Middlesbrough squad to win promotion to the Premier League has now surpassed Lionel Messi in one impressive statistic.
Boro are once again battling it out in the Championship this season under the guidance of Michael Carrick.
The ex-Manchester United star is aiming to take the Teessiders back to the Premier League for the first time in seven years.
The 2024/25 season has not got off to a great start though. Middlesbrough drew with Preston North End this past weekend, leaving them 10th in the Championship table after five games.
| Position | Team | PlayedMP | WonW | DrawnD | LostL | ForGF | AgainstGA | DiffGD | PointsPts |
| 8 |  DerbyDerby | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 9 |
| 9 |  LeedsLeeds | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 8 |
| 10 |  MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 8 |
| 11 |  SwanseaSwansea | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| 12 |  QPRQPR | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 8 | -1 | 6 |
Boro fans should not be too worried about their club’s slow start to the current campaign though, as their last promotion-winning season started in a similarly slow fashion.
The North East outfit also won two, drew two and lost one of their opening five Championship fixtures during the 2015/16 season.
Middlesbrough went on to finish second that term and Cristhian Stuani was the club’s top scorer with 11.
Former Middlesbrough star Cristhian Stuani surpasses Lionel Messi to match La Liga record
Following Middlesbrough’s relegation from the Premier League in 2016/17, Stuani left the Riverside for Spanish outfit Girona.
The former Uruguay international has gone on to enjoy a prolific career in Spain and continues to impress at the age of 37.
Stuani has found the net 132 times in 251 appearances for Girona and his latest effort was particularly special.
Blanquivermells faced off with FC Barcelona on September 15th, falling to a 4-1 defeat.
Stuani came off the bench in that clash to score Girona’s only goal of the game, matching a La Liga record in the process.
The South American has now matched Julio Salinas for the joint-most goals scored off the bench in La Liga history.
Stuani’s 28 goals from the bench in the Spanish top flight is more than Lionel Messi, who managed 27 goals as a substitute when plying his trade in La Liga.
Why Cristhian Stuani was crucial to Middlesbrough promotion
Stuani joined Middlesbrough from Espanyol in 2015 for around £3m.
The forward did not have the most prolific stint in the North East, scoring 16 in 67 appearances for Aitor Karanka’s side.
And while there is no doubt he has improved a great deal since departing Boro, Stuani still played an important, if sometimes underappreciated role, in Middlesbrough’s 2015/16 promotion.
Stuani only scored seven league goals that term but one of them proved to be arguably the biggest goal of Boro’s season.
Middlesbrough hosted Brighton and Hove Albion on the final day of the 2015/16 campaign.
The Teessiders sat second in the table ahead of kick-off, aware a draw would be enough to see them promoted automatically ahead of the third-place Seagulls.
When all was said and done, Boro drew the tie 1-1 with Stuani’s 19th-minute strike securing his side a return to the top flight for the first time since 2009.