Just when you think that he is out of records to break, Lionel Messi finds a new way to make history. On Sunday, Barcelona's main man broke an 87-year-old scoring record by netting a hat trick against Osasuna.
The record in question was the all-time leading scorer for Barcelona. The former record holder was Paulino who managed 369 goals in 357 official and friendly matches for the club between 1912 and 1927; Messi already holds the record for most Barcelona goals by a player in official matches. Barcelona's talisman entered the competition with 368 goals and finished with 371. He needed 95 games more than Paulino to break the record, but at age 26, it is likely that he will raise the bar a lot higher. Messi has scored 18 goals in the Spanish League in 2013-14 and has a total of 31 goals for his club this season. A year ago he finished with 46 Spanish League goals and a total of 60 goals for his club; based on these numbers it is safe to say that he will destroy the record.
His latest record will likely reignite the best player of all time debate. Detractors will undoubtedly claim that Messi has yet to win the World Cup but he has already broken a plethora of other records. Here are a few.
Messi has already won the Ballon d'Or four years in a row; no other player has ever won the award four times. His 50 goals in the 2011-12 is also a record that has not been equaled yet. Messi's 14 goals in a single Champions League season equaled the record set by Jose Altafini in 1962-63. Another major record that Messi shattered took place in 2012 when he scored 92 goals in all competitions.
Messi still has a few records to attain in order to end the discussion of whether he can become known as the best player in the world. Next weekend, he might top another record and become the all-time leading scorer in the Clasico matchup between Real Madrid and Barcelona. He is currently tied for the lead with Alfredo Di Stefano; both have scored 18 goals in the matchup and one more goal will give Messi sole possession. His big rival Cristiano Ronaldo is unlikely to catch him or surpass him for long; Ronaldo only has 12 goals in the Clasico.
Messi also needs to win the World Cup so that people can stop using that as an argument against him. Pele and Diego Maradona are still mentioned in that conversation because of their World Cup championships; however, Messi has arguably accomplished more than either on the club level and would put the argument to rest with a win in Brazil this summer.
Messi has 17 goals in 2014 and could be on his way to another Ballon d'Or if his scoring streak continues.
Do you think that Messi's latest record cements his position as the best player in the history of the game?