Messi 'breaks record' by scoring in 17th consecutive La Liga game

Lionel Messi scored in his 17th successive La Liga game, breaking a world record which has stood since the 1930s, according to his club Barcelona.

The 25-year-old came off the bench to register his 40th league goal of the season for Barca in the 88th minute of their 2-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna.
The world player of the year chipped in for his 27th goal in 17 matches.
Barca said Messi had beaten Pole Teodor Pewterek's 1937-38 record of scoring in 16 straight games for Ruch Chorzow.

Magical Messi

Messi's 40 goals in La Liga means he has scored more league goals than 16 of the 20 teams in the division

"The Argentine player's tally represents a new record in the history of football, something no other player has achieved before," the Spanish club said on their website. 

There was no immediate confirmation of Barcelona's claim by world governing body Fifa.
Messi has now scored 52 goals in all competitions this season, including five in the Champions League.
In December, Messi broke another record - that of the most goals in a calendar year - when he surpassed Gerd Mueller's 1972 tally of 85.
With Barca seeking to overturn a first-leg deficit when they face AC Milan in the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday, the Catalan giants started their match against Deportivo with several of their biggest stars, including Messi, on the bench.
Barcelona never needed to be at their fluid best to see off Deportivo. Alexis Sanchez gave them the lead just before half-time before Messi, who came on in the 59th minute, sealed victory two minutes from time.
Speaking about overturning the 2-0 first-leg deficit, Barcelona assistant coach Jordi Roura said: "Tuesday will be an entirely different story.
"But there is no doubt that the best way to get ready for a match is having won the previous game."
Barcelona's 12th win in 13 home league games extended their lead to 14 points over Atletico Madrid, who meet Real Sociedad on Sunday.
"We have the league title in our hands and we are not going to let it slip away," Alexis said.

Read more »

AC Milan 2 Boateng 57′ Muntari 81′ Barcelona

Goals from Kevin-Prince Boateng and Sulley Muntari gave AC Milan victory over Barcelona and a huge chance of making the Champions League last eight.

The Rossoneri defended in numbers and the two former Portsmouth players struck twice in the second half.
Boateng turned and fired in following a free-kick, before Muntari's close-range volley nine minutes from time.
Andres Iniesta fizzed a shot off target as Champions League favourites Barca had a subdued night.

Carles Puyol also headed wide following Muntari's first Champions League goal, but chances were only occasional for stand-in coach Jordi Roura's side as they slipped to their third defeat of the season.

It was a tactical masterclass by the hosts, who sprung a surprise result based on a tight, disciplined display in the first period but became more expansive after the break.
That said, Barcelona, who are top of La Liga by 12 points, lacked their usual creativity. Lionel Messi was only involved sporadically, and they paid for continually attempting to cut through the heart of the Milan defence.
The Italian club's excellent central midfielders, Riccardo Montolivo and Massimo Ambrosini, ensured that path was closed, and the win gives Milan a great opportunity to avenge last season's Champions League quarter-final defeat by Barcelona.
Back then, the two teams shared a 0-0 draw at the San Siro before the Catalans won 3-1 in the second leg, and on this evidence the four-time European Cup champions will need to significantly raise their game to get a repeat result at Nou Camp on 12 March.
The Spanish side barely mustered a chance in the first period as Massimiliano Allegri's Milan team worked tirelessly in midfield to shut down space and prevent the likes of Messi and Iniesta navigating through them.
When Messi did carve out some space on the edge of the box with some fine footwork, his shot was quickly blocked, while Xavi was limited to a long-range effort.
The best opportunities in a cagey first half went to Milan. Stephan El Shaarawy bore down on goal after a clever touch from Boateng but the Italian over-ran the ball, with Puyol seeing it out of play.
Boateng then clipped the resulting corner just wide of Victor Valdes's left post in front of an expectant home crowd.
Barcelona's domination of possession continued until after the break when the San Siro exploded into life as Boateng struck. The lively El Shaarawy drew a foul 30 yards out and when Montolivo fired in the free-kick, the ball hit Cristian Zapata on the edge of the box, allowing Boateng to swivel and drill in his left-footed shot.
Barcelona complained that the ball had hit Zapata's arm, but it had cannoned off Jordi Alba before it hit the AC Milan player.
The goal gave the Rossoneri added purpose and Giampaolo Pazzini hooked in a shot as the game became more even.
Milan were content to defend the width of the 18-yard box and Barca had few efforts on goal, save for Iniesta's fizzing shot which whistled past the post with 15 minutes left.
Muntari's goal then almost took the roof off after Milan broke down the right. El Shaarawy lifted the ball to the back post and his Ghanaian team-mate made no mistake with his left-foot strike.

Read more »

The foot that’s worth five million!

Lionel Messi cost Barcelona nothing – aside from paying for his treatment for growth hormone deficiency. The little Argentinian is now worth an absolute fortune. So, too, is his foot!
Indeed Japanese jeweller Ginza Tanaka has created a 25-kilogram golden statue of Messi’s left foot, which has gone on sale in Tokyo. Its cost? A whopping 500 million Japanese yen, which is around $5.25m!

Read more »