Record breaking seems to be a hobby of Leo Messi’s as the Argentine once again broke a long-standing record in La Liga. Spanish great Telmo Zarra is the holder of several of these records being broken by the Argentine.
Messi broke the record of all-time leading goalscorer in La Liga which was also held by Zarra. Now he’s broken the record for most goals scored for a team at home, in this case, the Camp Nou.
Messi scored the goal in the 58th minute of the game after being found brilliantly by Neymar. The Argentine took the shot first time and it landed in the roof of the net from a tight angle, giving the keeper no chance.
It was the perfect way to mark his return from injury. Barcelona were cruising to a 3-0 win before Messi came on and it only took him 3 short minutes to find the back of the net. This goal was his 180th in 176 games at the Camp Nou which is now one more than Zarra managed during his time in La Liga.
Here is a list of the top five goalscorers at home:
| Rank | Name | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lionel Messi | 180 |
| 2 | Telmo Zarra | 179 |
| 3 | Di Stefano | 151 |
| 4 | Quini | 151 |
| 5 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 150 |
Messi seems to have the ability to change the mood of his teammates just by being on the pitch. Even though Barca were comfortable in the first half they created even more chances in the second half when Messi came on.
If not for some poor finishing from Paco Alcacer the Catalans could have romped home to a 7 or 8-0 victory. Barca missed his influence against Celta Vigo and even the game against Borussia Monchengladbach in the UEFA Champions League.
Barcelona also have to fix their defense soon. They did not have any problems against Deportivo because they dominated the game but the performance against Celta Vigo where they conceded 4 goals was a catastrophe.
Samuel Umtiti is now back from injury for Barcelona after his layoff. He might be a better option at the back when compared to the likes of Mascherano and Jeremy Mathieu. Both have not seem settled in that back three in their last few games.
Suarez in controversy again
Barca are also a bit worried about Luis Suarez. The striker was caught in more controversy after punching a Deportivo player over the head during the game yesterday. How the referees failed to spot it is a mystery.
The incident was an off the ball challenge, so if found guilty he could face a lengthy ban. Suarez was also involved in an ugly conversation with Filipe Luis earlier and Barca have to try and keep him under check to prevent further controversy.
