BARCELONA • Lionel Messi has been called many things in his career, from genius to greatest of all time (Goat) and, on Sunday, he added "from another galaxy" to the ever-growing list of superlatives tossed his way.
The Barcelona talisman terrorised Eibar to rack up his 400th LaLiga goal in just 435 games - a remarkable ratio coach Ernesto Valverde labelled as "monstrous".
He drove the ball home after being teed up by Luis Suarez, who added a brace either side of Messi extending his record as LaLiga's all-time goalscorer, with the Spanish champions taking apart their opponents 3-0 at home for a five-point cushion at the top of the table.
Incredibly, it was one of his quieter nights at the Nou Camp despite increasing his lead over rival and the league's second-highest scorer, Cristiano Ronaldo, to 89 goals.
While Ronaldo, now at Juventus, still owns a better goals-to-game ratio, with his 311 strikes coming in 292 matches, the night was all about Messi even though Suarez and Philippe Coutinho also picked up the plaudits.
Valverde told reporters: "It's easy to say, but you have to score them one after the other, it's a long-term job. His numbers are stratospheric, incredible. Messi is an extraordinary player because he is not only a scorer. It's everything that he creates around him too."
Barcelona saluted his feat, tweeting crown and goat emojis and calling him "his goat-ness", while their beaten opponents also tweeted a show of respect for his achievement.
Messi is now only the second player to notch 400 or more goals in European football's top-five leagues after Ronaldo (409), but has reached the milestone having played 63 fewer games.
In Seville, Real Madrid beat Betis 2-1 courtesy of a last-gasp free kick from Dani Ceballos, who came back to haunt his former club off the bench, to remain 10 points adrift of Barcelona.
Luka Modric had opened the scoring but Betis were in the ascendancy after Sergio Canales poked in a second-half equaliser against his old side.
But Ceballos, who left Betis for Madrid two years ago and was heavily booed after being introduced, snatched the dramatic victory two minutes from time.
Although he scored on his first free-kick attempt for Real, the former Betis academy product admitted to mixed feelings afterwards as "he did not expect this reception".
He told TV channel Movistar: "It's a field that has given me everything. I'm happy, but I leave with the bittersweet feeling of not having the affection of (those) who were my fans for so long."
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS
Disfruta de los mejores regates, caños, taconazos y todos los detalles del crack argentino con el FC Barcelona en LaLiga Santander 2017/2018 Suscríbete al ca
Messi - FC Barcelona: News and official stats - laliga.es
LIONEL MESSI scored the 50th hat-trick of his career as Barcelona twice came from behind to defeat Sevilla 4-2 in La Liga. Messi's goalscoring love affair with Sevilla continued at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium as he has now scored more goals against them than any other team - 36 in 35 matches, including what […]
Messi notches 50th career hat-trick as La Liga leaders
Meet Messi, player of FC Barcelona. All the stats, pictures and news about LaLiga Santander.
List of La Liga top scorers - Wikipedia
Lionel Messi All 253 Goals in La Liga New Record HD iNJRHD. Loading Unsubscribe from iNJRHD? Cancel Unsubscribe. Working Subscribe Subscribed Unsubscribe 238K.
Lionel Messi Best Skills LaLiga Santander 2017/2018 - youtube.com
Messi notches 400 Laliga goals - straitstimes.com
La Liga's all-time top goalscorer is Argentine Lionel Messi, who also holds the record for most goals scored in a season with 50 goals in 2011-12. Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Athletic Bilbao's Telmo Zarra, who was the competition's all-time top scorer until 2014, are the only players ever to win the top scorer's award in six seasons.
Messi finishes season leading La Liga in goals, assists, and
Lionel Messi loves scoring against Real Madrid. The Barcelona superstar struck from the penalty spot in the second half of El Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday, notching his 17th goal against Los Blancos in LaLiga.
Messi notches 50th career hat-trick as La Liga leaders
Messi notches 50th career hat-trick as La Liga leaders Barcelona twice come from behind to beat Sevilla The Argentine loves to score against Sevilla as he has already netted 36 goals in 35 games
Lionel Messi All 253 Goals in La Liga New Record HD - YouTube
A 400th Liga goal for Lionel Messi and a brace from Luis Suarezsaw Barcelona breeze past Eibar at Camp Nou on Saturday evening and the champions are now five points clear at the competition's halfway stage.
Lionel Messi notches Real Madrid LaLiga record - Sportstar
Messi notches 400 Laliga goals. Lionel Messi scoring Barcelona's second goal against Eibar at the Nou Camp on Sunday. It was his 400th LaLiga goal after just 435 games.
Messi notches 400th La Liga goal - Nigerian News Direct
May 19, 2019 · Messi also led La Liga this season with 13 assists, 136 shots, 85 shots on target and 70 through balls. In terms of successful dribbles, Messi's 132 fell seven short of Celta Vigo's Sofiane
No comments:
Post a Comment