Yesterday, Lionel Messi, Argentine professional footballer, scored the seven hundredth goal of his career with a Panenka penalty in La Liga draw with Atletico Madrid. All-time top scorer of Spain reached the landmark goal for his club and country by slightly hitting the ball into the net as Oblak dived the wrong way.
The goal put Barcelona with 2-1 goals up, but Atletico Madrid hit back a goal to draw the game by 2-2. Barca remains on the second position in the list, one point behind Real Madrid. The penalty of Messi was in his 724th appearance for the club and his 630th goal. The star played his part in the opener for Barcelona when his lashed corner hit Diego Costa and bounced into the back of the net.
FT Barcelona 2 Atletico Madrid 2
Messi joins the 700 club, but Barca lose ground in the La Liga title race with a 2-2 draw with Atletico Madrid. #beINLiga #BarçaAtleti #Culers
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— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) June 30, 2020
Former Chelsea striker Diego Costa rapidly had the chance to make compensations when Atletico awarded a penalty when Carrasco fouled inside the box. Niguez took the 2nd penalty. Messi recaptured the lead of Barcelona and reached his career milestone, but once again, Niguez leveled the match with another penalty. Finally, it dropped points, which may cost them in the race of title.
Leon Messi joins 700 club
2020 brings another milestone for Messi. His 700th goal of the career comes just over fourteen months after netting for the 600th time for FC Barcelona, and in this way, he joins a select group. According to the statistics from Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation, Messi joins six other players who also scored a 700-goal mark in their career.
Josef Bican, a Czech-Austrian, leads the race with a total of 805 goals of his career while Brazil legend Romario and compatriot Pele are on second and third places, respectively, with 772 and 767 goals. Ferenc Puskas, the legend of Hungary, hit his total 746 goals on the fourth position, and Gerd Muller, the former Germany striker, holds the fifth position with 735 goals. Cristiano Ronaldo, the great modern goalscoring rival of Messi, is in sixth place with 726 career goals.
Players with 700plus career goals
| Player | Nationality | Major clubs | Goals | Years scored between |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josef Bican | Czech-Austrian | Rapid Vienna, Slavia Prague | 805 | 1931-1955 |
| Romario | Brazilian | Vasco da Gama, PSV, Barcelona, | 772 | 1985-2007 |
| Pele | Brazilian | Santos, New York Cosmos | 767 | 1957-1977 |
| Ferenc Puskas | Hungarian | Budapest Honved, Real Madrid | 746 | 1943-1966 |
| Gerd Muller | German | Bayern Munich | 735 | 1962-1981 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Portuguese | Sporting CP, Man Utd, Real Madrid, Juventus | 726 | 2002-present |
| Lionel Messi | Argentine | Barcelona | 700 | 2005-present |
Messi’s Journey to 700 Career Goals
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