Lionel Messi scored Barcelona’s 6,000th goal in La Liga on Saturday to put his side ahead in their season-opening 3-0 win against Alaves.
Messi spectacularly sent a free kick under the jumping Alaves wall in the 64th minute to push Barcelona onto 6,000 goals from their 2,801 games since 1929.
Only Real Madrid have scored more goals in the league, with 6,041 in 2,800 games.
After Philippe Coutinho doubled Barcelona’s lead in the 83rd minute, Messi scored his second goal of the day with the last kick of the game to increase his all-time La Liga tally to 385 goals — or 6.4% of all of Barcelona’s league goals in their history.
⚽ GOAL 6️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ in @LaLigaEN: Keep them coming! ?
??#BarçaAlavés pic.twitter.com/gjB9uy3L7B— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 18, 2018
“Sometimes in games like this you have to just wait for Leo to go and do his thing,” Barca’s Sergi Roberto said. “The first time he hit the bar, the second time, goal number 6,000.”
Messi’s first goal left teammate Sergio Busquets astounded.
Waking up on Sunday morning like…?
?? #ForçaBarça pic.twitter.com/obcattk1zU— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 19, 2018
“I had no idea he was going to shoot like that, for us it’s spectacular that he has such a range of options,” Busquets said.
The Argentine superstar also scored Barcelona’s 5,000th goal on Feb. 1, 2009, at Racing Santander.
Landmark Barcelona goals in La Liga include:
Goal 1: Manuel Parera in 1929
1,000: Marco Aurelio in 1950
2,000: Pedro Zaballa in 1964
3,000: Quini in 1982
4,000: Guillermo Amor in 1996
5,000: Lionel Messi in 2009
6,000: Lionel Messi in 2018
Due to his short stature, Messi has a lower centre of gravity than taller players, which gives him greater agility, allowing him to change direction more quickly and evade opposing tackles; this has led the Spanish media to dub him La Pulga Atómica (“The Atomic Flea”). Despite being physically unimposing, he possesses significant upper-body strength, which, combined with his low centre of gravity and resulting balance, aids him in withstanding physical challenges from opponents; he has consequently been noted for his lack of diving in a sport rife with playacting.
His short, strong legs allow him to excel in short bursts of acceleration while his quick feet enable him to retain control of the ball when dribbling at speed. His former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola once stated, “Messi is the only player that runs faster with the ball than he does without it.” Although he has improved his ability with his weaker foot since his mid-20s, Messi is predominantly a left-footed player; with the outside of his left foot, he usually begins dribbling runs, while he uses the inside of his foot to finish and provide passes and assists.