Last Updated: February 22, 2023, 13:33 IST
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi on the field (AP Image)
Lionel Messi is set to join Cristiano Ranaldo as players in the history of football to score 700 club goals
Lionel Messi is on the verge of entering the league of 700 club goals, which currently has Portuguese forward Cristiano Ranaldo as the sole member. After lifting the World Cup trophy with Argentina earlier in December last year, Messi has shifted his focus to club football. The Paris Saint Germain forward is now at 699 club goals. His long-standing rival Ronaldo is leading the tally with 706 goals in 954 appearances.
Messi looks to be in good touch and managed to mark his presence in the scoresheet during his last League 1 appearance against Lille over the weekend. If he scores in the upcoming game against Marseille, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner will become only the second footballer in history to breach the 700-goal mark in his club career.
Messi kicked off his journey as a professional footballer in 2004 for the Spanish club Barcelona. He made his senior team debut at the age of 16 during a La Liga game against Espanyol. Since then, there is no turning back for the Argentine. He spent the majority of his career in Spain and recorded a total of 672 goals in 778 games across competitions in the Barca kit.
After parting ways with his childhood club, Messi jetted off to France in the summer of 2021. He joined League 1 favourites PSG as a free agent alongside Neymar Jr and Kylian Mbappe. The 35-year-old continued his dominance in the French capital and has already scored 27 goals in 61 appearances in the PSG shirt. Combining the numbers with his career in Barcelona, Messi has reached 699 club goals in 839 games.
In his previous game against Lille, Messi stunned the home crowd at the Parc des Princes with a magical stoppage-time freekick, which helped PSG win the crucial League 1 fixture 4-3. After the 90-minute play, the match was locked at 3-3. Just ahead of the final whistle, Messi earned a freekick outside the opposition’s penalty area. The talismanic footballer made no mistake to send the ball into the net.
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