The Argentine wizard is closing in on Xavi’s club record as he takes the field for a landmark game against the Bundesliga giants
Barcelona captain Lionel Messi makes his 700th appearance for the Catalans on Wednesday as he starts in the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund.
Messi, 32, starts up front for the hosts alongside Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele in the penultimate round of Group F.
Barca remain undefeated in this season’s Champions League but nevertheless lie just one point clear of Dortmund and four ahead of Inter after four games, meaning they will need a win at Camp Nou or to at least match the Nerazzurri’s result away to Slavia Prague in order to clinch qualification to the last 16 with a match to spare.
Messi too will be hoping for goals in this landmark appearance, having netted just once in his previous four outings in this year’s competition as he has battled with injury and Barca’s mixed early-season form.
The Argentine made his debut for Barca back in October 2004 aged just 17 and has gone on to smash countless club records as he has established himself as arguably the greatest player in Blaugrana history.
His previous 699 games have yielded an incredible 612 goals in all competitions, almost 400 more than his nearest challenger Cesar, Barca’s star forward of the 1940s and 50s.
In appearances, meanwhile, only Xavi, who played 767 times for his boyhood club, stands ahead of Messi, who passed second-placed Andres Iniesta (674) towards the end of the 2018-19 season.
⭐ LEO #MESSI ⭐
7⃣0⃣0⃣ appearances for Barça! 😍 pic.twitter.com/RuPoSRU9Ed— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) November 27, 2019
During his 15 years in the Barca first team Messi has lifted 34 major trophies, more than any other player in club history, including 10 Liga titles and four Champions Leagues.
He is also considered the favourite to lift this year’s Ballon d’Or award, which would be his sixth overall and would put him ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo as the most prolific winner of the prestigious individual prize.
Frenkie De Jong, who starts in midfield on Wednesday alongside Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic in midfield, is in no doubt that his team-mate deserves to take yet another Ballon d’Or.
“For me, I said it a lot but Messi is the best player in the world so he has to win it,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
“[Liverpool defender Virgil] Van Dijk had an amazing season, he is a great defender and one of the best players in the world.
“But Messi is above and he is by far the best.”
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