Lionel Messi was at his record-breaking, breathtaking best on Sunday as a stunning late strike helped Barcelona to Clasico glory over Real Madrid and moved him to 500 goals for the Catalan giants.
A devastating finish, so typical of the Argentine master, put Barca top of LaLiga as it tries to overhaul Madrid in a domestic season of capital dominance.
Messi sinks Real Madrid in El Clasico thriller
But the strike served to once again highlight Messi's status as one of the all-time greats as Barca's record goalscorer became the first LaLiga player to net 500 goals for a single club.
Using Opta data, we break down the stunning statistics behind Messi's latest mind-blowing milestone.
HOW HE SCORED THEM
Left foot: 402
Right foot: 74
Head: 22
Other: 2
WHERE HE SCORED THEM – Top 5
Camp Nou: 284
Santiago Bernabeu: 14
Vicente Calderon: 13
Riazor: 10
Mestalla: 9
WHO SET THEM UP – Top 5
Dani Alves: 42
Andres Iniesta: 34
Xavi: 31
Pedro: 25
Luis Suarez: 25
WHO CONCEDED THEM – Top 5
Diego Alves: 21
Gorka Irazioz: 18
Iker Casillas: 17
Andres Fernandez: 15
Andres Palop: 12
IF MESSI SCORES, BARCA...
Win: 275 (86.70 per cent)
Draw: 30 (9.50)
Lose: 12 (3.80)
THE MILESTONE MOMENTS
14.Mar 3 2007 – Barcelona v Real Madrid : Messi's first in El Clasico. He goes on to score a hat-trick, including a 90th-minute equaliser.
19.Apr 18 2007 – Barcelona v Getafe : Comparisons to Diego Maradona are cemented as Messi dribbles though an entire Getafe defence to score a goal eerily similar to his legendary compatriot's solo stunner against England in the 1986 World Cup.
80.May 28 2011 – Manchester United v Barcelona : Messi scores the second goal in a 3-1 demolition of the Premier League giants in the Champions League final.
228.Mar 7 2012 – Barcelona v Bayer Leverkusen : Messi becomes the first player to score five goals in a single Champions League game.
252.May 5 2012 – Barcelona v Espanyol : Racking up four goals in this city derby makes Messi the first player to hit 50 in a LaLiga season.
313.May 5 2013 – Barcelona v Real Betis : The last goal in a 4-2 win sees Messi score for the 21st game in succession – a LaLiga record.
347.Mar 23 2014 – Real Madrid v Barcelona : Another Clasico hat-trick takes Messi beyond Alfred Di Stefano as the fixture's record goalscorer.
368.Nov 22 2014 – Barcelona v Sevilla : His 251st in LaLiga, surpassing Telmo Zarra as the league's all-time top scorer.
500.Apr 23 2017 – Real Madrid v Barcelona : It does not get much sweeter, Messi brings up his 500th Barca goal with a last-gasp Clasico winner at the Santiago Bernabeu to breathe new life into the title race.
Comments
SHARE