Messi sets La Liga scoring mark

BARCELONA, SPAIN >> Lionel Messi has yet another reason to be considered among the very best to have played football as he became the Spanish league’s all-time leading scorer with 253 on Saturday.

Messi notched a hat trick to lead Barcelona’s 5-1 rout of Sevilla and surpass the previous mark of 251 goals that Athletic Bilbao’s Telmo Zarra set in 271 La Liga games from 1940-55.

Playing in his 289th league game, the 27-yearold Messi first equaled Zarra’s record in the 21st minute and then beat it in the 72nd at Camp Nou Stadium. The Argentine went on to get his treble in the 78th with his 253rd league goal.

In a league that has featured some of the world’s most talented attacking players through its 83 seasons, including Alfredo di Stefano, Diego Maradona, Johan Cruyff and Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi stands alone as its most potent scorer after bettering a milestone that had stood untouched for almost 60 years.

Messi thanked his supporters on Facebook and posted a video of his first league goal scored on May 1, 2005.

“When I scored this goal, I couldn’t imagine I could break any record, let alone this one previously held by the great Telmo Zarra” Messi wrote. “I was only able to achieve this because of the support I have had from so many people during my time here and I would like to dedicate this achievement to you all.”

Messi debuted in the league on Oct. 16, 2004 at the age of 16. And just over 10 years later he has eclipsed Zarra.

“I never thought anyone would reach Zarra, who played in an era with more forwards than defenders,” Barcelona coach Luis En- rique said.

“(Messi) is beyond comparison, one of a kind, never to be seen again. We are lucky to have him here, to enjoy him and to see where he leaves this record.”

Messi’s latest scoring feat comes after he equaled Raul Gonzalez as the Champions League all-time scorer with 71 goals this month.

The record also arrives at a perfect time to thrill Messi’s fans who were worried by his recent remarks that he might be questioning his long-term commitment to the club. His fatheragent has since dismissed such concerns.

“Messi! Messi! Messi!” rang out through the Camp Nou in the final minutes, and again after a postmatch video in Messi’s honor.

The team lined up to form an honor guard as Messi jogged off the pitch smiling broadly.

“I’m happy for Leo,” Barcelona captain Xavi Her- nandez said. “It’s an incredible record. He deserves it as a person and as a player. He showed again that he is happy here.”

Messi’s 22nd treble for Barcelona increased his club record to 365 goals in all competitions. He also holds the Spanish league’s single-season scoring record of 50 goals in 201112, and his 91 goals in 2012 broke Gerd Mueller’s 40-year-old milestone of 85 goals in one year.

After having been denied his record-equaling goal during a rare three-game streak without scoring, Messi finally broke through with an elegant free kick after he had earned the foul.

He then tapped in a cross from Neymar to set the new mark, leading to an impromptu mid-match celebration by his teammates, who tossed him in the air.

“It was spontaneous,” Neymar said. “For me it is an honor to play beside him.”