Messi reaches another milestone by scoring 700th career goal
Barcelona and Argentina talisman Lionel Messi has reached yet another milestone in a celebrated career packed with accolades.
Messi recorded his 700th goal for club and country Tuesday against Atletico Madrid at the Camp Nou, notching the historic tally with a Panenka penalty in Barca's eventual 2-2 draw.
Messi is just the seventh footballer ever to record 700 career goals.
The 33-year-old now has 630 goals in 724 appearances across all competitions for the Catalan giants and 70 in 138 outings for Argentina.
Messi, who joined Barcelona's famed La Masia academy as a 13-year-old, made his senior debut with the club during the 2004-05 campaign. Two seasons later, the then-19-year-old established himself as one of football's best while commanding a recurring role in the Blaugrana starting XI.
| Season | App. | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 2004-05 | 9 | 1 |
| 2005-06 | 25 | 8 |
| 2006-07 | 36 | 17 |
| 2007-08 | 40 | 16 |
| 2008-09 | 51 | 38 |
| 2009-10 | 53 | 47 |
| 2010-11 | 55 | 53 |
| 2011-12 | 60 | 73 |
| 2012-13 | 50 | 60 |
| 2013-14 | 46 | 41 |
| 2014-15 | 57 | 58 |
| 2015-16 | 49 | 41 |
| 2016-17 | 52 | 54 |
| 2017-18 | 54 | 45 |
| 2018-19 | 50 | 51 |
| 2019-20 | 33 | 28 |
The six-time Ballon d'Or winner holds the record for most goals in a La Liga season (50, 2011-12) and most goals in a calendar year (91, 2012). He now owns a record-extending 441 La Liga goals, 130 more than runner-up Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi joins Ronaldo as the only active players with 700 goals for club and country. The 35-year-old Juventus and Portugal star reached the 700-goal plateau in a Euro 2020 qualifying defeat to Ukraine in October and currently sits on 726 for his career.