Lionel Messi has reached another milestone after scoring his 600th goal for Barcelona with a sensational free kick against Liverpool in their Champions League semi-final first leg on Wednesday.
Messi scored number 599 earlier in the match, pouncing on a rebound from a Luis Suarez shot and walking the ball in, before curling home a lovely strike for his 600th moments later.
The Argentine becomes just the seventh player in history to reach the 600-goal mark at club level, although he was beaten to the milestone by eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi’s first goal for Barcelona came exactly 14 years ago, on 1 May 2005 against Albacete. He has since grown into arguably the biggest star in the game, having won the Ballon d’Or on five occasions, 10 La Liga titles and the Champions League on four occasions.
The first of 600 ⚽
🔙 Leo’s 1st official goal came 14 years ago today 🐐#Messi600 pic.twitter.com/PYPt74qxeU— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) May 1, 2019
At 31, Messi is also a five-time winner of the European Golden Shoe, and claimed the World Cup Golden Ball at the 2014 tournament in Brazil.
His performance on Wednesday leaves Barcelona in prime position to add to that remarkable haul.
The club have already won La Liga this season and have reached the Copa del Rey final, while a 3-0 result against Liverpool leaves them on the verge of the Champions League final, though a trip to Anfield for the second leg remains.
It also continues a trend for Messi of dominance over English teams in European play.
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600 GOALS 600 GOALS⚽ #Messi600 🐐 pic.twitter.com/8sI0liDx5S
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) May 1, 2019
The Barcelona star has netted 26 times in just 33 matches against Premier League clubs in the Champions League, the best haul for any one player against any country in the competition, though he does share that record with Ronaldo, who has netted 26 times against German clubs.
Messi has netted his 600 Barcelona goals in 683 appearances, leaving him 368 goals clear of the next-highest scorer in club history, Cesar Rodriguez, who scored 232 goals for the club.
Barcelona will travel to Liverpool next Tuesday for the return leg, and should they progress, they will face either Ajax or Tottenham in the Champions League final in Madrid on 1 June.
