Lionel Messi news: Argentine ace equals record to become Barcelona's second-highest scorer in Copa del Rey

What's the story?

Adding to his insane record tally, Barcelona captain Lionel Messi has become the club's second highest goal-scorer after netting the side's third goal in the Catalan giants' 3-0 win over Levante on Thursday.

In case you didn't know...

Barcelona, who have won the competition for the last four years, went into the game with a hint of uncertainty as Levante informed before the game that they would file a complaint to the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) against the Catalan giants for fielding a player who was supposed to be suspended for the game.

Nevertheless, the LaLiga table-toppers registered a thumping win over Levante with the help of goals from Ousmane Dembele and Lionel Messi. The Barca captain played a part in all three goals as he provided the assists for the first two and scored the third.

If the RFEF rules out the complaint, Barcelona will progress to the quarterfinals of the competition, having won 4-2 on aggregate after last week's shock defeat.

The heart of the matter

The goal has helped Messi to equal László Kubala's record as the second highest all-time leader in Copa del Rey goals.

⚽ MILESTONE! #Messi's goal ties him with Barça great László Kubala as the Club's second all-time leading scorer in the Copa del Rey. 👏🏆 #CopaBarça pic.twitter.com/ZP5B3EHvqg

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) January 17, 2019

The Argentine maestro scored his 49th goal in the competition last night and is now only behind Josep Samitier, who scored 64 Copa del Rey goals for Barcelona between 1919 and 1932.

It is to be noted that six of the 31-year-old's goals came in the finals of the competition (2009, 2012, 2015, 2017, and 2018).

What's next?

After having secured a place in the quarter-finals, Barcelona will now shift their focus to the LaLiga where they currently sit at the top of the table.

The Catalan outfit will hope to extend their lead when they face Leganes on Monday.