Lionel Messi has scored his 700th goal for club and country with a penalty against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night.
Though near silence of the empty stadium as Messi restored Barcelona's lead marked a contrast to the nigh on countless number of celebrations he has sparked over the years, it was perhaps fitting for a player who leaves spectators – and the opposition – speechless with his otherworldly talents.
The scale of Messi’s goalscoring achievements is equally almost impossible to articulate - although on this occasion even he could not prevent another stumble from the home side as Atletico fought back to earn a point.
Unsurprisingly, the diminutive forward is the all-time top scorer for both Barcelona and Argentina – 630 of his goals have come in domestic competition and 70 for his national team.
His extraordinary strike rate is largely the result of scoring over 40 goals a season for a decade.
Messi’s most prolific campaign came in 2011/12 when he knocked in 60 goals – closely followed by 2014/15 when he netted 57 times, helping Barca clinch their second trophy Treble.
He also holds the world record for the most goals in a calendar year, bagging 79 in 2012.
In Spanish football, he is currently on course to outdo his world-class team-mates and rivals and become the first player to win the Pinchichi Trophy – La Liga’s ‘Golden Boot’ – for a seventh time.
He has pulled off 36 league hat-tricks to date, including eight in a single season in 2011/12 – more than anyone in the division’s history.
As for European football, Messi averages four goals every five games in the Champions League. He has scored 114 of them in total, topping the scoring charts in six seasons since 2008.
He famously scored five goals in a single game in Barca’s 7-1 victory over Bayer Leverkusen in the second leg of their last-16 tie in 2012.
His record against English clubs is especially phenomenal. He has scored 26 goals in his 34 games against Premier League opponents.
Speaking while Messi was still on the brink of the remarkable record, Barca manager Quique Setien praised his “astronomical” record and said “that’s why he is the best player in the world.”
“These are figures at the reach of chosen ones,” he added.
Whisper it quietly, but as Messi crossed the 700-goal mark, Ronaldo was already on 725 across his career, though the Portuguese had a two-year head start.
Messi is, of course, lionised for his abilities beyond putting the ball in the back of the net. For starters, his assists aren’t bad either – he has supplied the most of any player in football history.
