Ten challenges for Messi

Leo Messi knows no limits. He’s won a sixth Ballon d’Or, but there are plenty of other targets on the horizon for Barça’s Argentine superstar. Here are ten of them.

Break the club appearance record

Messi surpassed Andrés Iniesta to go second on the all-time list last season. He has 692 thus far, and although he’ll soon be breaking the 700 barrier, there’s some way to go before he tops the 767 appearances by Xavi Hernandez.

Seventh Pichichi, seventh Golden Shoe

He’s been top goalscorer in Europe four times in a row and six times in total. Staggering. By definition, he was also top goalscorer in Spain in each of those seasons too.

Beat Giggs’ 36 and Vítor Baía’s 35 trophies

If FC Barcelona were to win the treble, Messi would have won more major honours than the Manchester United legend and current Wales manager. He currently has 34, just one fewer than the former FC Barcelona and Porto keeper.

Win a fifth Champions League

At the Atatürk in Istanbul, Messi could win the biggest trophy in club football for the first time as Barça captain, but for the fifth time in total.

Be the Barça man with most Clásicos

Xavi Hernández holds the current record, but with 41 games against Real Madrid, Messi is just one short, and will equal the tally if he plays on October 26. Three Madrid players can match Xavi’s 42, but only one of those, Sergio Ramos, is still playing.

Score fiftieth free kick

Messi is one away from a half century of professional free kick goals, counting those for Argentina too. He has 43 for Barça and 6 for his country, and number 50 can’t be far away.

Get a free-kick hat-trick

Messi has scored a brace of free-kicks in a game on more than one occasion, but if he were to get three in a game it would be a truly remarkable feat.

Reach 500 league goals

He passed the magic 400 last season and has since built his La Liga tally up to 420. So he is now within touching distance of Josef Bican (447) and Uwe Seeler (444), who set legendary records in the Czechoslovakian and German leagues. There are questions marks over the validity of both those records, but it will no longer matter when Messi scores even more.

Chasing Pelé

It’s unclear how many goals Pelé scored for Santos over the years. Claims range from 510 goals to 643 (plus 31 for the New York Cosmos). Messi has scored 604 goals for Barça in all competitions, and this season will edge even close to the iconic Brazilian.

Top 700 pro goals

Messi has 672 goals for FC Barcelona (604) and Argentina (68). Simply stunning figures, and it’s just a matter of time before he’s celebrating the big 7-0-0.