Messi scores 644th goal for Barcelona, breaks Pele's all-time record
What's the story
Argentine legend Lionel Messi has broken Pele's all-time record for goals scored with a single club by netting his 644th career goal for Barcelona. The former achieved the milestone in Barcelona's recent La Liga win against Valladolid (3-0). Earlier, Messi had emulated the record of Brazilian legend after scoring in Barca's 2-2 draw against Valencia. Here is more on the same.
Match
How did the match pan out?
Messi entered the game needing a solitary goal to surpass Pele's feat. He set up Clement Lenglet for a header to give Barcelona a crucial first-half lead. Barca then doubled their lead in the 35th minute when Martin Braithwaite made full use of the cross. Meanwhile, Messi's record goal for Barcelona came midway through the second half, which ensured them a one-sided victory.
Elation
Never thought I would break any record: Messi
After the game, Messi took to Instagram, expressing his elation. "When I started playing football I never thought I would break any record, especially not the one I achieved today that Pele held," he wrote. "I can only give my thanks to everyone who helped me during these years, my team-mates, my family, my friends, and everyone who supports me every day."
Distinction
A historic feat for Messi
With a historic distinction, one of the greatest footballers of all time, Messi, added another feather to his cap. He joined Barcelona at age 13 and made his competitive debut at 17, in 2004. After 16 years, he has broken Pele's goal-scoring feat (643 goals for Santos). Messi has also won the Ballon d'Or six times, the most by a player.
Goals
Messi's record haul for Barca in La Liga
Messi has now amassed 644 career goals for Barca from 749 appearances. He been ruling the roost in La Liga, having scored a record 451 goals from 499 games in the league, thus far. His ground-breaking feat makes him stand atop the list of goal-scorers in the league. Notably, he has a lead of a staggering 140 goals from the second-ranked Cristiano Ronaldo (311).
Records
More records held by the Barca legend
With Barcelona, Messi has won La Liga on 10 occasions, along with six Copa del Rey and four Champions League titles. In the 2011/12 La Liga season, Messi netted as many as 50 goals, an all-time record in the league's history. Messi is also the leading goal-scorer for a single club in the UEFA Champions League (118 for Barcelona).