The latest milestone in Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi’s incredible career was achieved on Sunday.
By netting the second in his side’s 3-0 win over Eibar, he becomes the first player to score 400 goals in LaLiga.
Incredibly, these have come in just 435 appearances.
It is the most for a single club in Europe’s top five leagues.
Even long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo is unable to lay claim to this one and while the Madeira-born superstar may have 409 league goals, they have been spread between, Portugal, England, Spain and Italy with Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid and now Juventus.
From that 400, the first of which came in May 2005 against Albacete, Messi has 83 braces, 31 hat-tricks and stands 89 strikes clear of Ronaldo (311) in the all-time LaLiga scoring charts.
The 31-year-old also reached the landmark 63 matches quicker.
Artiz Aduriz is next on the list of active goal scorers. During three spells with Athletic Bilbao, he has 157. Impressive, but a considerable way off.
Simply put, Messi is unlikely to ever be caught, let alone surpassed.
While this may read for the most part like a Messi v Ronaldo comparison list, it is almost inevitable whatever one does, the other will be mentioned. Their careers and the history they share and have created are so closely entwined.
For some however, the debate as to who is the greatest is irrefutable.
“There’s only one person. While he’s alive, there’s only Messi, there’s no discussion,” sports scientist Simon Brundish told CNN.
“If you’re saying anyone else, other than Messi, even if he has had a broken leg for a year, or he is dead, or you are lying. It can’t be true.
“Messi has currently a goal or assist every 48 minutes. A game typically lasts 95 minutes so that’s almost two every single game. Last season it was 58 minutes.
“Normally you’re doing well if you get a goal every two games.”
England legend Gary Lineker is a known admirer of Messi. He regularly tweets in awe, not always able to fathom what he has just seen from the great man.
His Twitter header even includes the Argentine smiling along with him and his four sons.
Elsewhere on social media, Barcelona uploaded a picture montage of Messi complete with the caption: ‘His goat-ness’.
To the perplexed, that acronym means greatest of all time. That’s it, simple and straight to the point.
Superlatives no longer do Messi justice. If there are any left, you can guarantee they have already been used on him.
