Lionel Messi news: Barcelona captain extends his incredible goalscoring record against Premier League clubs

What's the story?

Barcelona captain Lionel Messi has extended his Champions League goalscoring record against teams from the English top-flight, following his brace against Manchester United on Tuesday night.

In case you didn't know...

Barcelona hosted Manchester United for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final fixture last night, in a game that saw the Catalan giants register a thumping 3-0 win over the Premier League outfit.

Messi's brace and a Philippe Coutinho goal helped the Spanish league leaders to a massive 4-0 aggregate win and a semi-final spot in the competition.

Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde heaped praises on his captain after the game saying,

"Messi always appears. Not only in moments, but in the games as a whole. He scores but is also the offensive weight of our team.

"We have done two good games. That is what you have to do to be able to continue in the Champions League and that you consider us more or less favourites.

"We are well. We are confident for the next tie against a great rival and for that we have 10 or 15 days left. We would like to reach the final."

The heart of the matter

Before the Champions League clash last night, Messi held the record for the most Champions League goals against English clubs, with 22 successful efforts.

His brace against Manchester United has now extended this record to 24 goals against Premier League clubs in 32 games: Arsenal (9), Manchester City (6), Manchester United (4), Chelsea (3) and Tottenham (2).

9 against Arsenal.6 against Man City.4 against Man Utd.3 against Chelsea.2 against Tottenham.Messi has now scored 2⃣4⃣ goals against English clubs. 👽 pic.twitter.com/3VpxFsoFyN

— LaLiga (@LaLigaEN) April 16, 2019

This means the 31-year-old has more goals against the top six English clubs than the likes of Wayne Rooney, Harry Kane and Robin van Persie.

Absolutely staggering that Lionel Messi has outscored Harry Kane, Wayne Rooney and Robin Van Persie against the Top-6 English Premier League teams. Amazing! #Messi #BARMUN #BarcaMUFC #UCL #Barca pic.twitter.com/N896pDkbUR

— Stats Insider (@StatsInsider) April 17, 2019

What's next?

Barcelona will face either Liverpool or Porto in the Champions League semi-finals, with the two sides set to clash tonight.

The Catalan giants, who have a nine-point lead in La Liga, will next face Real Sociedad on Saturday night.