Messi scores 800th career goal on Argentina's return to action

By Sports Desk March 23, 2023

Lionel Messi reached the latest major milestone of his storied career on Thursday as he moved on to 800 goals with a stunning free kick for to seal Argentina's 2-0 friendly win against Panama on Thursday.

The reigning World Cup champions returned to Buenos Aires where they received a thunderous reception from their loyal supporters, but they would have to wait until the final moments for their favourite son to get on the scoresheet.

Messi had hit the crossbar with a free kick in the first half, and after a second free kick was saved by inspired Panama goalkeeper Jose Guerra, he struck the woodwork again with a third free kick, although this one led to the opening goal as Thiago Almada tapped in the rebound.

But his fourth free kick finally curled under the bar and into the top-right corner, sending the stadium into raptures.

Of course, it was not so long ago that Messi hit another goals landmark.

His tap-in from Kylian Mbappe's inch-perfect cross against Marseille on February 26 was the 700th club goal of Messi's career – the strike against Panama was only his second for club or country since then.

Messi's stunner at El Monumental on Thursday was his 99th on the international stage.

Only his old nemesis Cristiano Ronaldo (120) and Iran legend Ali Daei (109) have scored more goals in international men's football than Messi, who looks set to continue playing for Argentina for a little while yet.

As such, his 100th goal for the Albiceleste is seemingly just around the corner.

But much like with that international milestone, Messi is not the first player to reach 800 across a full career.

Data can get a little murkier when you go deep into the past, with historical inconsistencies making it a little tricky to classify "official goals" or "official competitions".

The likes of Brazilian greats Romario and Pele are among a group of players deemed by some to have scored over 1,000 goals over their careers, but many of those were netted in friendlies or "unofficial" games.

The International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) considered Cristiano Ronaldo to be the first player to ever reach 800 official goals in December 2021.

With that in mind, Thursday's goal makes Messi the second to reach the landmark, and he is still going strong.

He has scored 18 for the season (all competitions) with PSG, though he also netted seven in as many games at Qatar 2022 as Argentina won the World Cup.

Of course, the vast majority of his 800 goals have been scored in the colours of Barcelona.

During 17 years with Barca's first team, Messi scored 672 times. That is 440 more than any other player in the club's history, while he also holds their record for most appearances (778).

And with his future at PSG in doubt, he could yet extend those records at Camp Nou.

Related items

  • Proteas five wickets away from Sri Lanka series whitewash Proteas five wickets away from Sri Lanka series whitewash

    South Africa closed in on a series whitewash of Sri Lanka on day four of the second Test in Gqeberha.

    The Proteas require five wickets to complete a 2-0 win over the tourists, who need 143 runs to level the series at St George's Oval.

    South Africa resumed at 191-3 on Sunday, Temba Bavuma (66) and Tristan Stubbs (47) led their charge as they continued at the crease.

    David Bedingham added 35 as the hosts took their second-innings total to 317, with only Prabath Jayasuriya's five-wicket haul stopping them in their tracks.

    That left Sri Lanka a target of 348, but South Africa took full advantage of the new balls, with Dimuth Karunaratne (1), Pathum Nissanka (18) and Dinesh Chandimal (29) all dismissed.

    Angelo Matthews (32) and Kamindu Mendis (35) also went, though an unbroken 83-run stand between Dhananjaya de Silva and Kusal Mendis steadied the ship to give Sri Lanka hope of completing an almighty turnaround.

    Data Debrief: Jayasuriya into double figures in just 18th Test

    Bavuma led by example for South Africa once more, with his fourth successive contribution of 50 or more.

    Jayasuriya's five-wicket haul to halt the Proteas' progress was his 10th in just 18 Tests, and his first outside Sri Lanka.

    The tourists' hopes are not over yet, but they must create history to level the contest. Indeed, no team has previously completed a chase of more than 271 runs at St George's Oval.

  • Leicester City 2-2 Brighton: Late Foxes fightback thwarts Seagulls Leicester City 2-2 Brighton: Late Foxes fightback thwarts Seagulls

    Leicester City scored twice in the closing stages to come back from 2-0 down and draw 2-2 with Brighton in the Premier League.

    The Seagulls appeared to be on course for a comfortable victory, with a stunning first-half strike from Tariq Lamptey having been followed up by Yankuba Minteh's effort 11 minutes from time.

    Brighton had controlled matters from the off, and Minteh's goal will have been the least Fabian Hurzeler felt his side deserved.

    Yet, Leicester talisman Jamie Vardy dragged Ruud van Nistelrooy's Foxes back into the contest as he poked in from close range to set up a grandstand finish.

    And Vardy was involved in the 91st-minute equaliser, teeing up Bobby De Cordova-Reid to tap in and claim a draw in dramatic fashion.

    Leicester are now 16th, with Brighton in seventh, having missed the chance to apply more pressure to their fellow European contenders.

    Data Debrief: Seagulls' King Power Stadium winless streak continues

    Brighton have now failed to win two of the last three Premier League games in which they have led by two or more goals, as many as in their previous 40.

    The Seagulls are still seeking their first Premier League victory away at Leicester, the joint-most they have faced a side on the road without registering a single win (also seven against Manchester City).

    Vardy inspired Leicester's turnaround. Aged 37 years and 332 days, the forward is the second-oldest player in Premier League history to both score and assist a goal in a single match, after Manchester United's Ryan Giggs against Fulham in December 2011 (38 years, 22 days).

  • Fulham 1-1 Arsenal: Saka's late strike chalked off as Gunners held Fulham 1-1 Arsenal: Saka's late strike chalked off as Gunners held

    Arsenal had a late goal disallowed as their winning run in the Premier League came to an end with a 1-1 draw at Fulham.

    Bukayo Saka seemed to have nodded home a winner in the 88th minute of Sunday’s contest at Craven Cottage.

    However, the goal was overturned after a VAR review – Gabriel Martinelli having strayed offside before he delivered the cross – as Arsenal missed the chance to move within four points of leaders Liverpool, whose game against Everton was called off on Saturday.

    VAR had earlier upheld Arsenal's equaliser, with William Saliba having turned in from Kai Havertz's header.

    Fulham went ahead after 11 minutes, when Raul Jimenez drilled in to round off a swift counter-attack.

    With Chelsea playing Tottenham later on Sunday, Arsenal climbed to second place on 29 points – six more than ninth-place Fulham.

    Data Debrief: Gunners' struggles on the road continue

    Now unbeaten in their last nine Premier League London derbies, Fulham are the only team to have avoided defeat against Arsenal in the competition since the start of last season.

    The Gunners have now won just one of their last six league matches on the road, while failing to keep a clean sheet during that span.

    Jimenez opened the scoring at Craven Cottage. All five of his goals this season have been the first of the game, with Dimitar Berbatov (nine in 2012-13) and Clint Dempsey (seven in 2011-12) the only Fulham players to net more openers in a single campaign.

    The hosts' lead was cancelled out by Saliba's sixth Premier League goal from a set-piece since the start of last season, with team-mate Gabriel Magalhaes (10) the only defender to score more such goals during that span.

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.