Lionel Messi bagged a record 767th appearance for Barcelona as the Catalan club defeated Huesca 4-1 to move second on the La Liga table on Monday.
The six-time Ballon d’Or winner scored a brace last night as he now sits level with Xavi Hernandez at the top of Barcelona’s all-time list of appearance makers.
The Catalan giants came off the back of a stuttering start to the season to pick up momentum after being inspired by the Argentine super star.
Ronald Koeman described Messi as “the most important man in the history” of Barcelona.
“I think Messi has shown that he is the best,” Koeman said. “The first goal was fantastic. He deserves to be important for this team.
“I don’t know what else to say about Leo. The level he has been at for so many years, so many games.
“He has equalled Xavi and in principle he will surpass him on Sunday.
“He is the most important man in the history of this club. Luckily he is still with us.”
Atletico Madrid’s draw against Getafe on Saturday left the door slightly ajar, and Barca powered through to cut the gap at the top of the table to four points.
There are 11 games remaining in the Liga season, and Koeman is looking for his “confident” team to keep on pushing.
“The points we lost for a few weeks … we have reacted well,” the Dutch coach said. “The team is confident. We are in good shape and we are fighting.
“We cannot lose more points because we have already lost quite a few.
“I’ve always said there is a lot to play for. It’s always hard for any team to hold out.”
