The Argentine remains as important as ever to Catalan giants and they are preparing to rewrite the history books again
Lionel Messi stands on the brink of another famous record in Barcelona, with an Argentine image matching Xavi’s 505 draw of La Liga appearances for the club.
The six-time Ballon d’Or winner was named in XI starting Ronald Koeman for a meeting with Alaves on Saturday.
That trip has given him a level with former team-mates when it comes to league appearances for the Blaugrana, as it is possible that the history books will be rewritten against Cadiz on 21 February.
How many visions did Messi make for Barcelona?
There is now a huge demand now with up to 759 appearances for the Liga giants across all competitions.
He is quickly closing in on Xavi ‘s top record in that division, with another production of the famous La Masia academy scoring 767 games during his time at Camp Nou.
Messi expects to pass that mark this season, with South America continuing to see records fall around it.
⭐️ 𝟓𝟎𝟓 ⭐️#Messi links Xavi full – time La Liga exposure list at Barça! pic.twitter.com/XJNpTSbFGj
– FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) February 13, 2021
He has scored 651 goals for the club so far, with that impressive return clearly seen him surrender at the top of the scoring charts.
In terms of league appearance, Andres Iniesta is third on Barca ‘s full – time list with 442.
Sergio Busquets is in fourth place and now up to 399, while former captain Carles Puyol finishes the top five on 392.
Gerard Pique is the only other regular player in the top 10, with 354 La Liga games as his name, and he will hopefully have plenty more left.
When did Messi make his La Liga debut?
Messi ‘s La Liga bow against Espanyol came from Catalan neighbors Barca on October 16, 2004.
Frank Rijkaard gave him six more rounds in the league that season, with the forward talent quickly securing a steady career.
Over the past 16 years, Messi has helped the Blaugrana to 10 league titles and four Champions League crowns.
The bigger picture
It remains to be seen how long Messi will stick around at Camp Nou and how high he will raise the view bar.
His contract is due to expire in the summer and no extension of that contract has yet been agreed.
Amas has found the 33-year-old will not make a decision on his future until the 2020-21 campaign comes to an end, with Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City saying they are above the queue of lawyers ready to pounce if swing exit door is open.