Lionel Messi just one match away from making Barcelona history

Lionel Messi has probably been the most influential player to have ever played in club football. The 33-year-old legend stayed at a single club throughout his professional career and has now matched Xavi Hernandez’s record of most appearances for Barcelona, in the La Liga. After the Catalan’s match against Deportivo Alaves, the Argentine reached 505 La Liga appearances for the club, matching Hernandez’s record, and is now just one away from breaking that record.

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Lionel Messi made his first appearance for the club way back in 2004 in a match against their rivals, Espanyol, and the rest is history. He has won over 30 major trophies with Barcelona, including 10 La Ligas and four UEFA Champions League trophies as well. Apart from that he has also won numerous individual accolades and is currently the holder of the most number of Ballon d’Ors.

The match against Alaves was a special one not only because the Argentine scored two goals to help his side win 5-1, but also because it means that he now has the same number of La Liga appearances as Xavi, another club legend. Messi has now played 759 games for the Catalans and is closing in on Xavi’s 767. He is expected to break the record and become the player with the most number of appearances for the Catalans, however, things are not looking good for the club as a whole.

They are in massive financial debt and could lose their most prized asset next season. Messi is not only the best player in the world, but he is also an important source of income for the Spanish giants, 7 out of 10 shirt sales carry his name. His departure will be a huge loss for the club however, the legend has not yet made his decision public so there is still time for the Catalans to persuade him into staying.

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