Lionel Messi wrote a fresh chapter in the La Liga history books as the Barcelona captain set another record in his side’s Catalan derby clash away to Espanyol.
Messi opened the scoring with a brilliant free kick at RCDE Stadium on Saturday, with Ernesto Valverde’s men looking to open up a three-point lead atop the table.
His goal means Messi has reached 10 for the season already in the league this term, becoming the first player to hit the landmark in 13 consecutive La Liga seasons.
Messi’s free kick was also the eighth set-piece he has scored this year in La Liga, three more than any team in Europe’s top-five leagues have collectively managed in 2018.
The Argentina star finished fifth in this week’s Ballon d’Or voting behind Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann, Cristiano Ronaldo and winner Luka Modric.
10 – Lionel Messi is the only player in @LaLigaEN history to have scored 10+ goals in 13 consecutive seasons. Extra-terrestrial. pic.twitter.com/SmTFiUJCbG
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) December 8, 2018
