The record which details magical Messi's longevity
Messi has now scored in 15 consecutive La Liga seasons
Lionel Messi showed on Saturday against Alaves what type of player he is. Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Juventus and the theory that that losing competition would reduce his performance levels doesn't matter to him. For him, the only aim is to play well and enjoy himself on the pitch -- like he did against Alaves. Two goals and two shots of the post are the most simple statistics which demonstrate that all Barcelona's play goes through him.
The Argentina forward, with his first goal against the Basuqe side, scored Barça's 6000th in La Liga -- he already scored the 5000th against Racing Santander in 2009. It was also the Catalan side's first league goal this season, something which, according to history, could lead to another treble. Every season in which Messi has scored the first goal for Barcelona, the club have won three or, at least, two competitions.
However, it's another statistic which shows how special Messi is for La Liga. He has won seven of the last 10 league titles and nine in total (2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2018). And he has won the Pichichi for the top scorer on five times, one shy of Telmo Zarra, who won it six times. Now, with his goal against Alaves, he has scored at least one goal in 15 La Liga seasons.
🔥 Solo podía hacerlo ÉL. 🔥
— LaLiga (@LaLiga) 20 de agosto de 2018
¡Messi ha marcado en 15 temporadas consecutivas en #LaLigaSantander durante el siglo XXI! pic.twitter.com/G4GLBKmKH2
The Barça No.10, since he scored his first goal against Albacere, has scored in every season he's took part in, 15 out of 15. While he's the only player to achieve that honour, he may be joined in time. Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos could match him. If Ramos scores in one of Madrid's next 37 league games, which seems likely, he, too, will have scored in 15 consecutive seasons. Messi's have come in one shirt, Barcelona's, while Ramos' goals have come wearing two: Sevilla and Madrid.
Messi's former team-mate Xavi Hernandez also scored in 15 seasons, but not consecutively. His goals came in 15 of the 17 seasons he took part in. Messi, Xavi and Ramos are followed by: Cesar (scored in 12 of 13 top flight seasons), Carles Rexach (12/14) and Andres Iniesta (12/16).
