Meet Leo: La Liga’s greatest ever goalscorer

Messi’s hat-trick takes him above Telmo Zarra to 253 goals

KARACHI: It had been a long time coming but as is often the case with Lionel Messi, the goal that finally equalled Telmo Zarra’s longstanding record was worth the wait.

The Argentine was brought down by Antonio Reyes at the edge of the box and picked himself up to curl it into the top corner from the free-kick. Spain had to wait nearly 60 years to have its all-time league goal scoring record equalled but it didn’t have to wait long to have it broken.

Trying to find a way into the game at 3-1 down, Sevilla were exposed on the break as Messi combined with deadly effect with Brazilian Neymar, tapping the ball home to make it goal number 252 and break the record outright.

Messi, however, was not done and after skipping through several challenges played a one-two with Neymar and then placed the ball into the bottom corner from outside the box to claim the match ball that broke the record.

The tributes invariably started to pour in for the 253-goal man. Coach Luis Enrique said after the match that football will never see another player of Messi’s ilk. “He is a unique and unrepeatable player. It won't be repeated. We have the fortune to enjoy it," said Enrique after the match. “For me, Messi is the best player ever."

Barcelona players also gushed with praises for the diminutive Argentine, taking to Twitter to praise the man that finished the night as captain. ‘Grande de la historia [the greatest in history],’ said La Masia graduate Rafinha Alcantara, ‘sin adjetivos [beyond description]’, said longterm partner-in-crime Andres Iniesta, while new Barcelona signing Luis Suarez simply asked him to ‘keep on making history’.

The man himself was expectedly humble, posting his first ever goal for Barcelona on his Facebook page, against Albacete in May, 2005. “When I scored this goal, I couldn't imagine I could break any record, let alone this one previously held by the great Telmo Zarra,” he said. “I was only able to achieve this because of the support I have had from so many people during my time here and I would like to dedicate this achievement to you all.”

Zarra’s daughter had said back in October that if her father’s record is broken, she hopes Messi is the one to do it due to the respect he commands both on and off the pitch. Her wish has now come true. “My father would be happy,” she said, according to Goal.com. “We are Athletic fans in my house, but he would have been thrilled. Messi is a noble person on and off the pitch.”

The debate about whether Messi is the greatest player ever to play in the La Liga, and even the best ever anywhere, will continue to rage on, but one thing is for certain; Messi is now La Liga’s greatest ever goal-scorer.

 

 

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