March 24, (THEWILL) – Lionel Messi has written himself another chapter in his continuing series of records. The Argentine superstar scored his 800th career goal in Thursday’s friendly against Panama, marking yet another milestone in an illustrious career that has seen him win virtually everything there is to win in football.
At 35 years of age, Messi is fast approaching a point where such achievements will become rarer, making this milestone even more significant. His latest accomplishment prompted a deeper dive into the Opta data behind his career record, which is always a fascinating experience.
The Argentine has scored against 232 different goalkeepers, with Diego Alves and Iker Casillas conceding the most goals to him. Messi has also built up an impressive tally of assists, with Dani Alves and Luis Suarez among his top collaborators. Meanwhile, Sevilla is unfortunate to be Messi’s favourite team to punish, with 38 goals scored against them.
The International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) considers Cristiano Ronaldo to be the world record holder, stating in December 2021 that the Portugal forward was the first player to reach 800 official career goals. This makes Messi the second to reach that figure, with Opta corroborating his career record. There remains a possibility he will eventually reach 1,000, but at 35 years old, that is not guaranteed even by Messi levels.
As he continues to build on his already-impressive career record, there is still more to come. He is one goal away from reaching 100 with Argentina and continues to chase Ali Daei and Ronaldo as the highest-scoring player in the men’s international football race. While Messi may not have the same kind of impact at Paris Saint-Germain as he did at Barcelona, he still has his sights set on new career targets. And, it will not be wise to bet against him.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
