Messi heaven

Posted Monday, November 24, 2014 by Marca.com

Messi heaven

Leo Messi has written yet another page in the history of football.This is not just any old record that the Argentine broke in the match against Sevilla. By scoring his hat-trick, he beat Telmo Zarra's longstanding record as la Liga's highest ever goalscorer.

Messi has harvested 252 goals in Spain's first division, one more than the ex-Athletic de Bilbao forward. To score his, Zarra needed 15 seasons. Messi, on the other hand, started out 11 seasons ago in Barça's first team. Moreover, his contract (until 2018) and his relatively young age (27) mean that in all likelihood the grand total is going to get a lot bigger before he calls it a day.

The Camp Nou faithful were nervously waiting for the big moment. The stadium roared when he came level with Zarra's record. His Barça teammates tossed the player into the air, all happy to see the smiling Messi once again. The player dedicated the goal to his son Thiago and then enjoyed the video that the club put on as a tribute to him, together with the guard of honour they laid on for him when he went down into the dressing rooms.

Messi showed on the pitch what he had previously hinted before the microphones – that he was not just any old player and that his future could lie anywhere. Everyone got the message. The public applauded him enthusiastically and the president assured that he would defend the player publically if that was what the player wanted. "He is fine here, he's happy and has shown as much", assured Xavi.