FCBARCELONA.CAT

15.12.2008 17:19

Messi scores more

Marc Guillén

After his strike against Madrid, Lionel Messi has now scored 16 goals in 19 games this season. That’s more than in any previous full campaign.

Lionel Messi has always been an outstanding dribbler because of the speed at which he moves and the way the ball seems to be stuck to his feet. But this season he is also piling up the goals. Just as he announced in preseason, Guardiola has Messi playing closer to the box and the Argentinean is responding with more goals than ever.

A goal every 107 minutes in the League

The man in the number 10 shirt has scored 10 goals in 13 League encounters at the fabulous rate of one every 107 minutes played.

In the whole of last season, when Messi turned out in 28 games, he also scored ten times. He has only scored more often in a single season once, back in 2006/07 when he found the net 14 times, but he also played in more games at 26 to give him a strike rate of one goal every 142 minutes played.

All types

Messi’s ten League goals have come in all shapes and sizes. They include two penalties against Racing and Espanyol, a header against Sporting, and two from free-kick moves, with a direct strike against Atlético Madrid and another when he slotted home from a Xavi pass away at Recreativo Huelva.

Champions League too

Lionel Messi has been even more devastating in the Champions League: five goals in five games with a strike rate of one every 60 minutes played. Last season he slotted home 6 goals in Europe, which is one more than so far this season but in more matches.