Barça star Messi scores his 350th (and 351st) goal in La Liga

Barça star Messi scores his 350th (and 351st) goal in La Liga

Los goles de Messi en el Alavés - FC Barcelona (0-2). Jornada 2, Liga Santander 2017-18 / | LALIGA

The Argentine scored his first goal aged 17 years and 10 months

Since 2014, when he overtook Zarra (251), he's been the league's top scorer

Once again Leo Messi was the centre of attention. And exclusively. Without Luis Suarez (injured) and Neymar (at Paris Saint-Germain), the Argentine was expected to produce the goods on Saturday against Alaves in La Liga. 

And he did, scoring his 350th goal in La Liga to give Barça the lead in the second half after missing a penalty in the first period. He took his tally to 351 with a second goal as Ernesto Valverde's side won 2-0. 

Since he overtook the 251 scored by Athletic Club legend Telmo Zarra in November 2014, the Argentine has been making history with each goal he scores as the competition's top goal scorer. 

SCORING SINCE 2005

Messi's first goal in La Liga was on May 1, 2005, at Camp Nou against Albacete (2-0). He was 17 years, 10 months and eight days old. The last he scored was on May 21, 2017, also at Camp Nou, but aged 29 years, 10 months and 26 days. 

Of Messi's 351 goals in the league, 200 have been at home and 151 away. The teams which he has inflicted the most damage on are Sevilla (23), Atlético Madrid (22) and Osasuna and Valencia (21 each).

Other teams he's scored more than 10 against are: Deportivo (17), Real Madrid and Rayo Vallecano (16), Levante and Espanyol (15), Athletic (13), Getafe, Betis, Racing de Santander and Real Sociedad (12) and Villarreal, Almería, Mallorca, Málaga and Granada (11).

DEAD BALLS 

Meanwhile, of the 351 goals, 46 have been penalties and 19 free kicks. The rest have been scored in open play. 

His best scoring season was in 2011-12, when he scored 50, breaking all records. In the following campaign, he managed 46. On four occasions he has been the season's top scorer, the Pichichi: 2009-10, 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2016-17.

Valencia, Espanyol and Osasuna have all seen him score four times in one game, the first two in the 2011-12 season and the latter in the 2012-13 season. 

As for hat-tricks, he has scored two trebles against: Real Madrid, Valencia, Atlético Madrid, Rayo Vallecano, Osasuna, Málaga, Granada and Deportivo.

Tenerife, Zaragoza, Almería, Levante, Espanyol and Sevilla have all seen him score a hat-trick once. 

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