Blaugrana legend
Since having made his debut for Barcelona in 2004, Messi has gone on to smash almost every La Liga goalscoring record in existence.
The diminutive Argentinian has notched a staggering 349 goals in 382 La Liga appearances, cementing himself in the eyes of many as the greatest footballer of all time.
Study
While there will never be a definitive answer to the question of the greatest ever player, a study carried out by the Centro de Investigaciones de Historia y Estadística del Fútbol Español (The Centre of Historical and Statistical Investigations of Spanish Football) claims that, at least in Spain, Messi is in fact the finest club footballer to ever grace the pitch.
As per AS, the study was based on ‘a series of co-efficients including minutes played by season, goals scored in open play, penalties and own goals as well as sending-offs.’
José Antonio Ortega, who carried out the research, claims that ‘all of the evaluations are tallied with a scoring system that is simple and homogeneous that evaluates the footballers with the same analysis across all seasons.’
Chart
Messi, who’s ‘technique, ambition, talent and ability’ earn him a place atop the list, sits ahead of Real Madrid legend Raul Gonzalez, with former Barca man César Rodriguez rounding out the top three.
Telmo Zarra, an Athletic Bilbao legend, comes in in fourth, while Enrique Castro ‘Quini’, who lined out for both Sporting Gijon and Barcelona, is fifth.
After Messi, the next active player on the list is Cristiano Ronaldo, who currently resides in 17th.
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