Messi still has worlds to conquer

Lionel Messi is the all-time leading goalscorer in La Liga and the Champions League, but there is many more to come. Photo: Albert Gea

Lionel Messi is the all-time leading goalscorer in La Liga and the Champions League, but there is many more to come. Photo: Albert Gea

Published Nov 27, 2014

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 London - It is said of Alexander the Great that ‘when he saw the breadth of his domain, he wept for there were no more worlds to conquer’.

Lionel Messi might be starting to feel the same. This week, the Barcelona superstar has become the all-time leading goalscorer in both La Liga and the Champions League.

His hat-trick in Nicosia, Cyprus, on Tuesday night took him past Real Madrid legend Raul as the top scorer in the Champions League with 74.

He has now scored in 23 European cities and 16 European countries in the continent’s premier competition. But, as the map of all his goals in Europe’s leading competition shows, there are plenty of lands still to conquer for the Argentinian wizard. Poland, Turkey, Norway, Sweden, Austria, Romania and Bulgaria are among the countries in which Messi is yet to score.

Tuesday’s hat-trick was his fifth in the competition, a record. He also has the most two-goal hauls with 20. He is the first player in the history of the European Cup and the Champions League to score five or more goals in eight consecutive seasons.

Back on home soil, the 27-year-old broke Telmo Zarra’s long-standing La Liga scoring record of 251 in Barcelona’s 5-1 win over Sevilla at the weekend. He now has Zarra in his sights again; Messi has 28 hat-tricks for his club, while Zarra has 31, the record for Spanish teams.

So unlike Alexander the Great, Messi still has plenty left to accomplish.

Daily Mail

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