Barcelona captain Lionel Messi is just one club goal away to smash Pele’s record of most goals scored for a single club.
The 33-year-old scored his sides only goal on Sunday, as Barcelona defeated Levante 1 – 0 in the La Liga.
Despite being heavily linked with a Barca exit in recent months, the Argentine has scored a staggering 642 goals in 746 appearances since making his senior debut back in 2004.
Aside from being the club’s all-time leading scorer which will likely never be broken, Messi has also won a host of honours on both team and individual levels, including four Champions League crowns, 10 La Liga titles and six Ballon d’Or awards.
Messi is now one goal away from matching Pele’s record of 643 goals for Santos, which currently stands as the highest number of goals one player has ever scored for a single club.
The Argentine will likely lead the frontline for Koeman’s side when they play host to current league leaders Real Sociedad in midweek.
Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman did praise the Argentina international over his contribution to the club’s success for more that a decade, insisting that his kind would never be seen again.
“They are impressive figures, we will never see a player like that again, who has given so much happiness, that is why he is number one and is so important,” the Dutch head coach told a pre-match press conference
“We saw him [shine] the other day, we depend on him. I do not know how many hat-tricks he has scored… once again, it’s amazing what he’s done for this club.”
