Messi breaks 40 year old world record

Today, Fc Barcelona and Argentina forward Leo Messi beat Gerd Muller's record of goals scored in a single calendar year. During the 1972 season, Muller scored 85 goals in 60 games and Messi broke this 40 year old standing record with 66 games played. Considering that there's still a lot of games to play this year, only the soccer 'gods' can tell where Messi's goal tally (which will be a record to reckon) will be come January 1st 2013.

Both his 85th and 86th goals of the year came against Real Betis and were all assisted by the super creative Andres Iniesta. The record was special in more ways than one as Messi wasn't at all expected to play due to a knee injury he suffered this past wednesday and which saw him carried off the pitch on a stretcher after colliding with an FC Benfica defender. Much of the football world was in owe of his quick recovery.

Today, Messi also become Fc Barcelona's all-time leading goal scorer in the Spanish league (la Liga) with a total of 192 goals two a head of another Barca legend Cesar Rodriguez. Even more scarily is that Messi is only 25 and hasn't hit the traditional "pic" years (28-29) where a footballer is at his best.

So far this season, Leo Messi has scored six hat-tricks, 20 doubles and four goals in one game twice. All this numbers includes goals he has scored both for club and country. Messi has scored 12 goals for Argentina this calendar year.

Leo, who is also a new father when asked what it meant for him to break the record, his answer was a simple "Its nice for what it means but the victory is more important". Very much in line with the humble professional man that he is.

"After my final game as a professional football player, Muhammad Ali hugged me and said, "Now there are two of the greatest." Pele .... I hope that when Messi's career is over, Pele will be able to extend that number to three.

@RasMutabaruka