Lionel Messi was the protagonist against Athletic Bilbao. Not just because his contract details had been revealed by El Mundo, but because he was also on the verge of 650 goals for Barca. And he hit that milestone.
Messi scored a brilliant free-kick that beat not just the wall and goalkeeper Unai Simon, but also Yeray Alvarez, who was standing on the post and still couldn’t stop it. That was also his 49th free-kick goal.
The first was set up by Ronaldinho, who carried Messi as a celebration. Goal 500 was in overtime at the Santiago Bernabeu, a 3-2 win he celebrated by famously showing his shirt to the fans. A classic Clasico image now.
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Goal 600 was also special, in the Champions League semis, against Liverpool. It looked like Barca were through, 3-0, but the second leg told another story.