Lionel Messi’s Record Breaking Goal

Lionel Messi broke Gerd Müller’s record of 85 goals in one year against Real Betis when he scored his second goal of the game after playing a give and go with Iniesta. It wasn’t your usually give and go around a defender but more a pass and follow your pass type of give and go. But what it made extraordinaire was the back heel layoff from Iniesta. Just genius from Iniesta….makes it look easy but that was a sublime back heel pass to setup Messi.

Messi played the soccer ball to Iniesta and then instead of going past the defender he stopped and came back for the ball. Iniesta had received Messi’s pass and faced forward like he was going to shoot or challenge the defender but all in one motion really, Iniesta flicked the ball back to Messi with his heel, and Messi slotted the ball home to the far post to beat Muller’s 40 year old record.

The two made it look at too easy. Something they’ve surely done thousands of times on the training ground over the years and years they’ve played together.

I wonder what other soccer / football teams and players are thinking these days when they play against Messi? I think we’ll see more and more players wanting to swap shirts with Messi at halftime and more and more players fighting over his jersey after the game. Heck, before the game I’m sure some players are asking for his jersey.

This Sunday, with his goal against Villarreal in the 2-0 away win in La Liga, Leo Messi equalled Bayern Munich’s legendary player Gerd Müller. The German striker scored 525 goals between 1965 and 1979, whilst FC Barcelona’s Argentine star has reached this exceptional figure 13 years after his debut with the first team on October 16, 2004 after 606 games as a blaugrana.

It is not the first time that Messi has surpassed a record established by Müller as in 2012, Barça’s No.10 set the record for goals scored in a calendar year with 91. The previous mark of 81 was held by the German for more than 40 years. Messi now enters the podium of players who have scored the most goals during their career at one club. Josef Bican, with 534 goals, and Brazilian star Pelé, with 643, are the next rivals to beat.