Barcelona: Lionel Messi can set new record with win over Villarreal
A victory for Barcelona in the next match against Villarreal will see Lionel Messi set another record for most La Liga wins assuming he features.
Lionel Messi has been part of the most successful period in Barcelona’s history with his consistent brilliance playing a large part in that, although other players such as Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Gerard Pique and Luis Suarez among others have been key to that success as well. This has allowed him to rack up a large number of league wins even though he is only 31-years-old.
The win over Espanyol saw Messi match and extend records as he equalled Iker Casillas’ La Liga win record of 334 and his two goals meant he has scored over 40 goals in all competitions for the tenth season running, with Cristiano Ronaldo his closest rival on eight seasons. Therefore, a victory against Villarreal in the next game would see him break the wins record as long as he features.
Real Madrid’s former goalkeeper was quick to congratulate the Barcelona man on equalling his record in comments he made to Marca:
"“I’d have preferred it to be a Real Madrid player, but these types of records are there to be broken and he has always done a great job.”"
Casillas believes that someone will come along and overtake Messi’s total, though.
"“I am convinced that somebody will come who’ll also surpass his total.”"
Messi’s career has seen him combine remarkable goalscoring and creative numbers with longevity, which has seen the Catalans win nine league titles as well as being on their way to a 10th. During his Barcelona career, they have also won four Champions League titles and six Copa del Rey trophies among countless other pieces of silverware, however, the league titles are the main sign of consistency due to the nature of the competition.
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His 2011/12 season has gone down in history due to the 73 goals he scored in all competitions, which is the most by any player in history, as well as 29 assists. Nonetheless, there is a strong case to be made that he is playing his best football this season due to the 41 goals and 21 assists he has contributed across all competitions and how integral he is to Barcelona’s attacking play. He is also performing memorable pieces of individual brilliance such as the chipped goal against Real Betis and the Panenka free kick in the Espanyol win.
Lionel Messi’s unbelievable record and Panenka treat for fans. dark. Next
Records highlight his brilliance and will be a useful tool for future generations to understand how great he was, but nothing will effectively replace watching him play because his genius can’t be accurately explained through words or statistics. He has to be watched to be truly appreciated.