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What's the story?
With his incredible effort in Barcelona's game against Getafe, Argentine ace Lionel Messi has now been involved in as many goals as rivals Real Madrid have so far in La Liga.
In case you didn't know...
Ernesto Valverde's side extended their lead at the top of the Spanish league table with a thumping victory over Getafe this weekend.
Captain Messi opened the banks with a lovely 20th-minute effort before Luis Suarez doubled the advantage with an incredible volley in the 39th minute.
The defending champions have been doing quite well for themselves so far this season and their rivals' recent defeats have only strengthened their position in the league.
Real Madrid succumbed to a shock home defeat at the hands of Real Sociedad, in what appears to be yet another reminder of how the side has changed since the departure of Zinedine Zidane and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Both the French manager and the Portuguese forward left the Los Blancos outfit last summer after winning the club's third consecutive Champions League title.
Since then, the club has undergone a series of bad results leading to Julen Lopetegui's sacking. The European champions have also found it difficult to replace the goal-scoring void left by Ronaldo. Under new boss Santiago Solari, the side has seen limited improvement and remains far from what it used to be.
The heart of the matter
With his effort against Getafe, Messi has now been involved in 26 goals in La Liga so far this season, the exact amount of goals that the entire Real Madrid team has scored.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has netted 16 goals and registered 10 assists for the Catalan giants so far this campaign.
The goal against Getafe is the Argentine's 399th La Liga goal and he is now only one goal away to reach 400 goals in the competition.
What's also impressive is the fact that Messi (16 goals) and Suarez (12 goals) have scored 28 La Liga goals between them this season, more than 16 teams in the competition.
What's next?
Barcelona's win together with the loss of their closest rivals this weekend have put them five points clear at the top of the table.
The Catalan giants will next lock horns with Levante in a Copa del Rey clash on Thursday.
