Lionel Messi continues to defy all odds with his goalscoring consistency

A ridiculous statistic via OPTA shows that Lionel Messi’s goalscoring prowess just continues to defy all logic. The stat shows that the meteoric Argentine has scored 15+ goals for Barcelona across all competitions in each of the last 15 seasons he has played in.

With his goal against Rayo Vallecano over the weekend, he hit the 15 goal mark for Barcelona in the 2020-21 season as well. Messi popped up at exactly the right time to slot home Barça’s equaliser in their Copa del Rey Round of 16 tie after an initial scare from the Madrid outfit. His contribution was vital as the Catalans progressed through to the Cup quarterfinals.

Messi started off very slowly this season for Barcelona, coming ont he back of the iconic interview with GOAL where he expressed his desire to leave. Despite a campaign filled with ups and downs, the 33-year-old has picked up pace rapidly. After scoring in this season’s first La Liga fixture vs Villarreal, the Argentine failed to score in any of Barcelona’s next five league games. He also endured a lengthy spell without any goals from open play, which he finally ended against Real Betis in November, well over a month after the season began.

His record against Rayo Vallecano is also awe-inspiring; netting 18 times against the capital club. The goal was also La Pulga’s 720th official goal in his professional career. Following his sluggish start to the season, Messi now sits second to Youssef En-Nesyri and Luis Suarez in the La Liga scoring charts once again with 11 goals in 17 games. With his strike last night, he now has 15 goals in the 20-21 season across all competitions.

Lionel Messi’s goalscoring prowess has never been in doubt. Despite a turbulent campaign, he might be on course to rewrite history again. After becoming the first player to win the Golden Boot six times, he will now chase an unprecedented seventh crown.