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Barcelona legend Carles Puyol has heaped praise on Lionel Messi after he broke Pele’s historic goalscoring record on Tuesday night against Real Valladolid.
The Barca captain struck his 644th goal for the Catalan giants to become the player with the most goals for a single club, overtaking Brazil legend Pele’s record with Santos.
Puyol told Goal that he thinks there’s no doubt Messi will be remembered as the greatest footballer of all time.
If you ask me who Michael Jordan is, I will say that he is the best basketball player in history. I think Messi will have the same status – the best footballer of all time.
It is also talked about whether Michael Jordan is the best in history, and these are opinions, and sometimes it is difficult to be objective. It is difficult for a Real Madrid fan to recognize that Messi is the best.
We have been lucky to have him but I really say, taking away the feeling of being a cule, that the numbers are there, these have not been invented and they show that he is the best.
Messi’s 644th goal made it 3-0 for Barcelona and secured a welcome win for Ronald Koeman’s side. The Argentine’s goal came in his 749th game for the club.
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Puyol Hoping Messi Stays
Puyol also spoke about Messi’s future at the Camp Nou. The 33-year-old is out of contract in the summer and it’s not clear yet if he will extend his stay with the club he joined as a 13-year-old.
Barca have endured a tough year both on and off the pitch, but Puyol knows what it’s like to experience tough times at the Camp Nou. Indeed the captain is hopeful that Barcelona can capture more silverware with Messi before he hangs up his boots.
The beginning of my career was difficult because I went five years without winning anything, but then we managed to win it all and, to this day, we are the only club that has won six titles in the same year. I continue to trust that a Barcelona led by Leo will continue to win titles. I don’t know if he has much more to achieve. He still has to win a title with the national team.
The Catalan giants finished 2019-20 campaign empty-handed after missing out on the title to Real Madrid and being humbled in the Champions League by Bayern Munich. It’s the first time in 12 years the club has ended a season without any silverware.
Messi Never Expected to Break Record
Meanwhile, Messi reacted to breaking Pele’s record with a post on Instagram where he explained he never expected to overtake the Brazil legend’s landmark when he first started out in the game.
When I started playing football, I didn’t expect to break a record like this, especially since it’s Pelé. I want to thank everyone who has helped me all of these years, my teammates, my family, my friends, and everyone who has supported me.
The Argentina international still has time to score more goals in a Barcelona shirt, and it’s already difficult to see any player being able to match Messi’s extraordinary numbers.
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