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Lionel Messi is a class apart, and his popularity is as vast as the diverse records that he has set in his career. This season too, Messi has been in fine form, even though he has missed 5 games with a forearm fracture. The Argentinean has already scored 14 goals from 14 games in all competitions this season. He has also picked up 7 assists so far and as such, the world can expect another fascinating season from the maestro.
However, Messi's season is not only about goals and assists. It is about breathtaking dribbles, mesmerizing runs and pinpoint passes. It is about glorious free kicks and outrageous finishes that live on in the memories of fans for ages. And his season is all about setting new records. This season too, Messi has been breaking and creating records like child’s play.
Also Read: 4 Records Lionel Messi has set so far this season.
While he has already achieved remarkable feats, there are still a few more that he could touch by the end of the year
It is this ability of the Argentinean that makes him such a popular figure in the world of football. But inspire of his worldwide appeal, there are still a few records established by the magician that are lesser known to the football fans around the globe. As such, today we look at 4 records set by Mess in LaLiga that you might not have heard about.
#4 Most assists in Copa del Rey final
In the Copa del Rey Final last season, Lionel Messi set up all kinds of records. For starters, he became only the second player in the history of the tournament to score in 5 different finals, when he put the ball in the back of the net in the 31st minute. He then became the first player to register an assist in 3 consecutive Copa del Rey finals, when he set up Suarez in the 40th minute. He would go on to pick up his second assist of the night on the 52nd minute, when he teed up Andres Iniesta, as Barcelona won the game 5-0
Also Read: 5 Records Messi can break or equal this season
Messi first played in the final of the Copa del Rey in 2009, when he scored one and picked up an assist in a man of the match performance that enabled Barcelona to defeat Athletic Bilbao and become Champions. The Argentinean picked up his second and third assists of the tournament final in 2016 and followed it up with another assist in 2017 final. Last season, he took his tally to 6 assists in the tournament finals in his career. In the last 10 years, Barcelona have always lifted the Copa del Rey trophy when Messi has scored or assisted in the final.
The Argentinean himself has a magnificent record in the tournament - he is the player with the most assists in Copa del Rey Finals.
#3 Only player to score consecutively against all opposition teams in LaLiga
In the 2012/13 season, Lionel Messi missed 6 LaLiga games due to a hamstring injury, but still managed to score 46 goals from 32 games. However, it was a scintillating run starting from 11th November 2012 till 30th March 2013 which made the Argentinean a part of LaLiga history, yet again. Messi ended up scoring against every opponent in LaLiga during that period, a feat that was achieved by only two player before - Ronaldo in the 96/97 season and Cristiano Ronaldo in the 2011/12 season. However, Messi did something that was never done before; he achieved this feat consecutively.
The Argentinean started with a brace against Mallorca and went on to score a brace for the next 5 games as well. He continued to score in every game through the turn of the year and finished with 30 goals from 19 games! Unfortunately, his run ended with a hamstring injury, which saw him miss 3 games, but Messi had already achieved the unthinkable by then. He had become the first player to score consecutively against all 19 opponents in a season in the LaLiga. Interestingly, when he returned from injury, Messi got right back at it, scoring 3 goals from 3 games, before another hamstring injury meant that he missed the last 3 games of the season.
#2 Most braces scored in LaLiga
Lionel Messi has the unusual record of scoring the most braces in LaLiga. He has scored 84 braces for Barcelona till date in LaLiga and 118 braces in total for Barcelona since his debut in 2004.
Messi's first brace in the Copa del Rey came in the 2006/07 season, in the first leg of the semi-final against Getafe, as Barcelona won 5-2. He missed the return away fixture as Barcelona succumbed to a 4-0 loss and failed to progress to the final. His first brace in the Champions League was in the away leg against Celtic in the first leg in the round of 16, in the 2007/08 season, a game that Barcelona won 3-2. His first brace for Barcelona in LaLiga was scored a little earlier though.
Messi made his debut for Barcelona in the 2004/05 season, when he scored 1 goal from 7 games in LaLiga. He scored the first brace of his career against Mallorca in LaLiga, in the following season, as Barcelona won the game 3-0. It was the start of a career that has made him the best player in the world.
#1 Most goals scored from direct free kicks in LaLiga
Lionel Messi has scored free kick goals in every club competition he has participated in barring one - FIFA Club World Cup. He has scored 4 goals from direct free kicks in the Champions League, 3 goals in Copa del Rey, 2 goals in the UEFA Super Cup and 1 goal in Supercopa de Espana. He first scored from a free kick in LaLiga against Atletico Madrid at home in 4th October 2008, and since then he has scored from a direct free kick for Barcelona for 10 seasons in a row!
Last season, Messi scored 7 direct free kicks for Barcelona. He scored 1 in the Champions League, against Olympiacos and scored 6 in LaLiga, against Real Sociedad, Alaves, Girona, Las Palmas, Atletico Madrid and Leganes. As such, he broke the previous record of 6 direct free-kicks in a season set by Ronaldinho.
This season, when Messi scored from a direct freekick against Alaves in Barcelona's first LaLiga game of the season, he reached 26 goals from free kicks in the LaLiga and there are no players in the close competition. Lionel Messi has scored the most goals from direct free kicks in LaLiga and it is a record that will not be touched by anyone, any time soon.
