Lionel Messi earned praise from Ronald Koeman for reaching record Barcelona appearances.
Messi scored a brace in the 4-1 win over Huesca, marking his 767th outing in a Barca shirt.
Equaling the amazing accomplishment of Xavi with the most Barça appearances of all time: congratulations Leo! 👍 #Messi767
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Igualando el increíble record de Xavi como el jugador del Barça con más partidos jugados. Felicidades Leo! 👍 #ForçaBarça pic.twitter.com/z2ZhK95Rqa— Ronald Koeman (@RonaldKoeman) March 16, 2021
Messi’s goal tally also reached 660 and 661 on the night. Speculation regarding his future is still sky high, especially after Joan Laporta got appointed as the Barcelona president. New contracts are expected to begin soon or else the Argentine could leave on a free.
“It is a very good victory with three points that bring us closer to the leader of the Championship. We have done what we had to do. We have lowered the intensity a bit in the second half but the victory is good,” assured the Dutch coach.
“In the first half we were good with the short result. It is not a penalty, it has complicated us a little more and despite the 2-1 we were able to score more goals but we lost concentration. It may be that we were more tired but the objective has been achieved.”
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