Lionel Messi scores his 644th goal for Barcelona

Real Madrid star Lionel Messi struck the team’s third goal in the 65th minute, receiving a delicate backheel pass from Pedro Gonzalez in an away match against Real Valladolid held at the Jose Zorrilla stadium in Valladoild, Spain on Tuesday local time. It was his 644th goal for Barcelona. His team beat Valladolid 3-0 and Messi became the highest WhoScored rated player in the game. “When I started playing football, I never thought I would break a record,” said Messi after the match, adding he wants to thank all those who helped him, including his teammates, family, and friends.

Messi has played 749 games for Barcelona since his competitive debut in 2004. He has scored 451 goals in the league, 118 goals in the European Champions League, 53 goals in the Copa del Rey, and 22 goals in other competitions, including the Spanish Super Cup. Brazilian superhero Pele scored 643 goals in 656 matches for Santos in the Brazilian Serie A between 1956 and 1974.

Eyes are on whether Messi, who broke Pele’s longstanding record, will be able to surpass Pele’s record of most international goals as a South American player. Messi has scored 71 international goals. Although he is only six goals behind Pele’s 77, experts say Messi will not be able to surpass Pele’s record easily since he tends to display poor performance in international games.


hun@donga.com