Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman heaped praise on Lionel Messi, describing him as the “most important man in the history of the club” after the Argentine forward equalled Xavi’s club record of 767 appearances in Barca colours.
Messi’s brace in the La Liga match against Huesca, which Barcelona won 4-1, ensured that he reached the milestone equalling Xavi’s record. Messi scored the opening goal in the 13th minute, before Antoine Griezmann doubled the lead in the 35th.
After Huesca pulled one back with the help of Rafa Mir’s strike, Barca’s Oscar Mingueza restored Barcelona’s two-goal lead in the 53rd minute. Messi netted a goal in the 90th minute to seal the final scoreline of 4-1.
“I think Messi has shown that he is the best. The first goal was fantastic. He deserves to be important for this team,” Goal.com quoted Koeman as saying.
“I don’t know what else to say about Leo. The level he has been at for so many years, so many games. He has equalled Xavi and in principle he will surpass him on Sunday. He is the most important man in the history of this club. Luckily he is still with us,” the 57-year-old said.
Xavi overtook Migueli’s record of 549 on January 5, 2011 when he made his 550th appearance in a Barca jersey before setting a new record of 767 matches. The Spaniard set his record in 2015, in the last of his 17 seasons with the club. He won 27 trophies with FC Barcelona, with which his association began in August 1998.
Messi’s 767 matches are divided into a total of six different competitions.
La Liga is the competition with the most matches, with Messi playing a total of 510 in the Spanish top flight. He has played 149 Champions League games, while 79 have come in in the Copa del Rey, 20 in the Spanish Super Cup, five in the Club World Cup, and four in the European Super Cup.
Barcelona will take on Real Sociedad in their turf in a La Liga encounter on March 22.
