Lionel Messi becomes 7th player in history to score 700 goals or more
- Lionel Messi was on target for Barcelona against Atletico Madrid
- The 33-year-old scored one and assisted another in their 2-2 draw vs Simeone's men
- Messi's goal saw him become the seventh player in history to score 700 goals or more in history
Lionel Messi hit a major milestone in his football career after becoming the latest player to record 700th senior team goals.
The Argentine scored one of Barcelona's goals against Atletico Madrid in their 2-2 draw in Tuesday's Spanish League clash at the Camp Nou.
Though the result didn't go the way of the Catalans, it was however a memorable evening for the 33-year-old who had a hand in both goals for the home team.
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The feat ensured he became the seventh player on the planet to have scored 700 or more goals with his arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo occupying the sixth position on the list.
According to ESPNFC, the Argentine forward achieved his feat in 862 appearances for club and country - 111 games lesser than the Portuguese when he recorded the same figure last year.
However, the 35-year-old still ranks top on the list of top five active players with the highest number of goals across competitions.
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal, Juventus): 728 goals (1,005 games)
- Lionel Messi (Argentina, Barcelona): 700 (862)
- Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden, AC Milan): 540 (907)
- Luis Suarez (Uruguay, Barcelona): 472 (637)
- Robert Lewandowski (Poland, Bayern Munich): 466 (697)
Below are the players to record 700 or more senior career goals:
1. Pele
Brazilian legend and three-time World Cup winner Pele remains the highest goal scorer of all time with a staggering 1,279 career goals.
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The forward lasted 21 years on the pitch (1956-1977) but his figures were disputed by some quarters, with RSSSF giving him 767.
2. Josef Bican
Josef Bican follows Pele on the ranking order with the Slavia Prague icon described as the topmost scorer of all time in official games, according to the RSSSF.
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The striker massed a whopping 805 goals in 530 competitive games between 1928 and 1955 while representing three different countries.
3. Romario
Another Brazilian superb forward Romario takes the third position with the RSSSF claiming the attacker scored 772 goals in 993 first-class matches during a career.
He scored five stunning goals and helped the South American team win the World Cup in 1994.
4. Ferenc Puskas
Ferenc Puskas is the fourth highest goal scorer in history with 746 goals in 754 matches between 1943 and 1966 for Honved, Real Madrid and Hungary.
Nicknamed "The Galloping Major," made his mark in the world of football and FIFA named their world's greatest goal award each season after him.
5. Gerd Muller
Gerd Muller played for West Germany and Bayern Munich and was said to have scored 735 goals in 793 games. Fourteen of Muller's goals came at World Cups.
And then comes Cristiano Ronaldo on sixth with 728 goals in 1,005 games, followed by Lionel Messi on seventh who recently netted his 700th goal in 862 appearances.
Legit.ng earlier reported that Barcelona players expressed displeasure towards their manager Quique Setien following their 2-2 draw against Celta Vigo in their La Liga meeting last weekend.
The Catalans surrendered their lead twice in the game after Luis Suarez had put his side in front twice at the Abanca Balaidos.
Barca took the lead two times in the 20th and 67th minute through the Uruguayan but a goal each from Fedor Smolov and Iago Aspas ensured they shared the spoils.
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Source: Legit.ng
