Only Cristiano Ronaldo Is Close To The Latest Record Set By Lionel Messi [Video]

Lionel Messi has clinched yet another record in soccer when he scored in FC Barcelona’s 2-0 win over Leganes in their latest La Liga fixture Wednesday.

Messi now has netted 20+ goals in each of the last 12 La Liga seasons, including the current 2019-20 campaign, where the Barcelona captain has scored 21 goals in 24 league matches. Messi’s arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo is the only player close to matching the record.

Ronaldo is just a season away from equaling Messi in this record as he has scored 20+ league goals in 11 out of the last 12 seasons. Unlike Messi, Ronaldo’s 11-season record is spread across two different leagues: La Liga and Serie A.

Messi and Ronaldo have dominated soccer for over a decade now and have been involved in several debates to determine who the better of the two is.

Not a single player is even close to this duo in this particular record. Next in line are Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski (eight seasons), Manchester City forward Sergio Aguero (seven seasons), and Messi’s Barcelona teammate Luis Suarez (six seasons).

While Lewandowski has scored 20+ goals in eight Bundesliga seasons, Aguero's seven seasons include his stints at Atletico Madrid (La Liga) and current club Man City in the Premier League. Suarez, who is just one season behind Aguero, has bagged the record by scoring in La Liga and the Premier League.

In the match against Leganes, which was played at Nou Camp, Messi reached 699 career goals. He has scored 629 goals in 720 games for Barcelona and 70 goals in 138 matches for Argentina. Out of the 629 goals for Barcelona, Messi has scored 440 times in as many as 476 La Liga appearances for the Catalans and 28 goals in 114 Champions League matches.

Barcelona currently are five points clear on the top of the La Liga table but second-placed Real Madrid have a game in hand.