Lionel Messi scored his 700th career goal asFC Barcelona was held 2-2 in a bizarre draw with Atletico Madrid that saw three penalties and an own-goal.- Messi's goal, the second penalty of the night, sees him join an elite group of only six other players that have scored 700 career goals.
- Josef Bican, Romario, Pele, Ferenc Puskas, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Gerd Muller are the only others player to have hit the landmark total.
- "He will continue to score," Barcelona boss Quique Setien said after, according to Goal. "You don't know what the ceiling is for a player of this type."
Lionel Messi scored his 700th career goal as FC Barcelona was held 2-2 in a bizarre draw with Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night.
The madness began just 11 minutes in when former Chelsea striker Diego Costa calamitously directed the ball into his own net while attempting to clear Messi's whipped free kick.
Barca's lead lasted just eight minutes however after Yannick Carrasco was bought down in the box by Arturo Vidal and Atletico was awarded a penalty.
Costa stepped up to take the spot-kick, but was denied by Marc Andre ter Stegen.
However, the German keeper was adjudged to have stepped off his line. The referee ordered the penalty to be retaken, with Costa sidelined and midfielder Saul Niguez given the chance to equalize. He took it, scoring his 5th goal of the season.
Early in the second half, Barca was awarded a penalty of its own, which Messi dispatched panenka-style to reach his landmark.
The goal was is 630th for Barcelona in all competitions, which when added to his 70 for Argentina, takes the 33-year-old's career total to an astonishing 700.
—PremierSports (@PremierSportsTV) June 30, 2020
Controversy was to follow, as in the 62nd minute, Atletico was awarded its second penalty of the night after Carrasco appeared to be tripped in the area by Nelson Semedo.
Footage of the collision showed there to be minimal, and non-deliberate, contact between Carrasco and Semedo – however the penalty stood and was netted by Saul to complete the scoring.
The draw for Barcelona means Quique Setien's side now trail Real Madrid by one point at the top of the La Liga table, though Madrid have a game in hand.
Messi joins elite 700 club
Only six other players have reached the 700-goal mark in their career, according to data from Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF).
Czech-Austrian Josef Bican is the most prolific player of all time, having hit 805 goals in just 530 matches between 1931 and 1956.
He's followed by Brazilian duo Romario and Pele, who managed 772 and 767 respectively, while Hungary legend Ferenc Puskas and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi's great goal scoring rival, have both hit 746 goals.
Former Germany striker Gerd Muller is the last player to have hit the landmark with 735 goals.
"I suppose that another 700 goals will not be scored by Leo, but he will continue to score," Setien said after the draw with Atletico, according to Goal.
"You don't know what the ceiling is for a player of this type."
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