It has taken sacrifice and hard work to score every one of the 644 goals, says Messi
Dec 23, 2020
Valladolid [Spain], December 23 : After scoring the record-breaking 644th goal for Barcelona, Lionel Messi said it has taken "sacrifice and hard work" to score every one of those goals.
Messi on Wednesday moved past Pele as the highest goalscorer ever for a single club after guiding Barcelona to a 3-0 win over Valladolid. Messi scored the third goal of the match as he set a new world record.
"20 years ago, I began a journey determined to be the best player I can be and it has taken sacrifice and hard work to score every one of the 644 goals with the help of my teammates. Hopefully fans around the world will find inspiration in my story to commit to their craft no matter how hard the journey because everyone can achieve greatness if they believe in themselves. I'm excited to partner with Budweiser to share this journey with everyone," Messi said in a statement.
The Argentine ace scored all goals wearing an FC Barcelona shirt, across 17 seasons and 749 games. That surpassed the 643 goals that the Brazilian scored for Santos which was until now the world record. Pele, who played his last game for Santos in 1974 and is considered as one of the greatest players ever to grace the game.
For this achievement, Budweiser 0.0 crowned Messi the undisputed King of Football.
Messi's former teammate, Carles Puyol said: "I have seen first-hand the hard work Messi puts in to achieving greatness day in, day out. This record couldn't have been broken without the dedication and commitment he has shown over the last 20 years and I feel privileged to have played a part in his journey to becoming the King of Football."
However, there's another Pele record that Messi will have in his sights. The 77 goals that the Brazilian scored for his country are still a South American record. Messi has 71 for Argentina and needs just six more to equal that number.
