Lionel Messi Breaks Record With Two Goals Against Sevilla (GIFs)

Should Lionel Messi ever decide to leave Barcelona, he’ll take yet another Spanish soccer record with him.

Messi set up one and scored two outstanding goals in his team’s 4-1 win over Sevilla in La Liga (Spain’s first division) action on Sunday. The win moved Barcelona to the top of La Liga (on goal difference), and Messi also ended a lengthy league-goal drought.

But Messi’s goals made one prestigious record tumble. Upon scoring his second of the game, Messi became the player with the most goals for a single club in the history of Spanish soccer, passing the mark previously held by Athletic Bilbao legend Telmo Zarra.

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Messi gave Barcelona a 2-1 lead just before halftime when he received Pedro’s pass at the top of the Sevilla area, flicked it up to himself and smashed it past Sevilla goalkeeper Beto. See it below.

In the 56th minute, Messi doubled his day’s tally and passed Zarra. Iniesta was the provider, once again, but Messi had to curl his shot quickly, as two defenders were closing him down. See his second goal below.

The goals were Messi’s first in the league from open play in since September, spanning 686 minutes. Off-field problems and a series of injuries had a negative effect on Messi’s form and confidence, but he could be nearing his best — just as the 2014 FIFA World Cup approaches.
Messi now has two other prestigious records in his sights. The first would see him become the top scorer in Barcelona’s history. Messi could feasibly break Paulinho Alcantara’s record by the end of the month.

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Meanwhile, Messi could pass a trio of Real Madrid legends on La Liga’s all-time top scorers list in the near future and go after another of Zelma’s records early next season.

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That is, if Messi sticks around long enough to break Rumors about Messi possibly leaving Barcelona after this season resurfaced last month. Time will tell if they have any merit.

Please read about Messi’s recent injury problems>>

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GIFs via Reddit

Photo via Twitter/@fcb_video