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What's the story?
Barcelona captain Lionel Messi set another free-kick record after his exploits against Villarreal last night.
In case you didn't know...
It goes without saying that Messi is enjoying another historic campaign with Barcelona. The 31-year-old magician leads the goal-scoring charts in the European top five leagues with 42 goals in all competitions so far.
Messi leads the race for the European Golden Shoe with 32 goals in the La Liga and has been involved in a staggering 46 goals so far in the league. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner remains one of the highest providers with 21 assists in all competitions.
Messi once again conveyed that he is still football's finest as his majestic free-kick helped Barcelona salvage a point after going 4-2 down against Villarreal. As a result, the Catalan giants sit top of the league table with an eight-point lead over Atletico Madrid.
Talking about his teammate's ability from the dead ball, Sergio Busquets said:
"Even training he keeps on scoring that high percentage of free-kicks. You can't compare him to any player. He's just the best."
The heart of the matter
Ernesto Valverde decided to rest his most in-form forward as they took on 17th placed Villarreal. Despite a good start, Barcelona looked down and out against Villarreal last night when they were trailing 4-2.
Valverde didn't waste any time and brought on Messi in the second half. The Argentine magician weaved his magic soon after. Messi scored a direct free kick in the 90th minute and provided another pass for Suarez to finish, and ultimately rescued a point for the Blaugrana.
With his goal, Messi set yet another record in the Spanish league as he became the first player in the top five European leagues to score more than six direct free-kick goals in consecutive seasons since at least 2006/07 campaign.
What's next?
Barcelona will face Atletico Madrid next in the LaLiga before turning their focus towards the Champions League, where they face Manchester United in the Quarter Finals.
