Lionel Messi news: Serie A midfielder trolls Barcelona star with cheeky statistic comparison

What's the story?

Atalanta midfielder Marten de Roon, who just achieved his 100th Serie A cap in his side's victory over Napoli on Monday, has trolled Barcelona captain Lionel Messi in a tweet that addresses the milestone.

In case you didn't know

Atalanta revived their hopes of a top four finish in the Serie A after registering a 2-1 away win over second-placed Napoli.

Goals from Duvan Zapata and Mario Pasalic helped Atalanta make the most of the two Milan clubs' slip-ups last weekend, to draw level with AC Milan with 56 points on the league table.

The season has effectively ended for Napoli after Juventus lifted their eighth consecutive Serie A title a few days ago.

The heart of the matter

The game marked central midfielder de Roon's 100th Serie A cap and Atalanta marked the milestone with a post on their official Twitter account.

However, de Roon, who has also been capped by the Netherlands ten times, cheekily added a tweak to the infographic.

The midfielder included a stat that showed him scoring five goals in the Serie A, which is still five more goals than Ballon d'Or winner Messi has ever scored in the league. The side-note reads, "Although 5 goals it's still 5 goals more than Messi in the Serie A".

The Argentine superstar has played for Barcelona throughout his career, with longstanding rival Cristiano Ronaldo even challenging him to come to the Italian league. The Juventus star said (via BBC), "I'd like him to come to Italy one day. I hope he accepts the challenge like me, but if he's happy there then I respect that. He's a fantastic player and a good guy."

What's next?

While Atalanta are next scheduled to face Fiorentina in the Coppa Italia, Barcelona, who are at the summit of La Liga, will go head-to-head with Levante in the league this weekend.

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