Lionel Messi equals Xavi's record and closes in on Real Madrid feat

What's the story?

It just doesn't stop with Lionel Messi, does it? The Barcelona ace is once again on his way to making history in La Liga after he recently equaled his former teammate Xavi Hernandez's record in the league, and is now closing in on former Real Madrid shot-stopper Iker Casillas' outstanding feat.

In case you didn't know...

Barcelona's last La Liga game saw the Catalan giants take on Espanyol in a derby game that saw captain Messi putting on a sublime performance, registering two spectacular, record-breaking free kicks.

Two other goals from Ousmane Dembele and Luis Suarez helped the Catalan giants to condemn their city rivals to a 4-0 defeat.

The victory leaves Barcelona at the top of the Spanish league standings with 31 points.

The heart of the matter

Following Barcelona's win over Espanyol last weekend, Messi has equaled former teammate Xavi Hernandez's record of 322 wins in the Spanish top flight.

The Argentine managed to register 322 wins in 431 games while Xavi earned his 322 wins in 505 appearances.

3⃣2⃣2⃣ Leo Messi joins Xavi Hernandez as the @FCBarcelona players with the most victories in #LaLigaSantander! 👏Matchday 15 in numbers 👇 pic.twitter.com/R9gTKppY0E

— LaLiga (@LaLigaEN) December 11, 2018

This means that there are now only three other players who have more wins than him in the history of La Liga - Real Madrid's Raul Gonzalez with 327 wins out of 550 La Liga games, Andoni Zubizarreta with 333 wins in 662 appearances and Iker Casillas who has won 334 times from 510 fixtures in the Spanish league.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner now needs only 13 goals to break the goalkeeper's incredible record.

What's next?

Barcelona will next face Levante in a La Liga game that would be the perfect opportunity for Messi to surpass Xavi's record and one that will aid him in his journey to Casilla's record.

The table toppers will face Levante on Monday, December 17.