'I don't know how he does it' - Messi marks 600th goal in style
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| Lionel Messi netted his 600th goal against Liverpool in their Champions League semi-final encounter inside Camp Nou |
Lionel Messi marked his 600th goal for Barcelona in style with a magnificent free-kick to cap off their 3-0 win over Liverpool in the Champions League semi-final at the Nou Camp.
The Argentine forward had scored a tap-in to record goal number 599, before taking aim from around 25 yards with a majestic strike that whistled into the top corner of the Liverpool net.
Reds manager Jurgen Klopp paid tribute to Messi's brilliance afterwards: "I knew before Lionel Messi was a world-class player and now I saw it again I'm not surprised.
"In those moments, he is unstoppable. What a strike."
It was a wonderful goal but the 31-year-old was humble afterwards, saying: "It was beautiful when it went in but I was lucky that the ball lodged up there in the corner."
Maybe Messi's first of the evening was fortunate, Luis Suarez's effort hitting the bar and landing perfectly for him to score, but his second was simply stunning.
Former England defender Rio Ferdinand said he felt 'blessed' to have witnessed the moment that Messi reached 600 goals - 14 years to the day that he scored his first, a delicate lob against Albacete in La Liga on 1 May 2005.
By scoring against Liverpool, Messi has now registered against all six English teams he has faced in the Champions League.
🐐 GOAT. Greatest Of All Time— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) May 2, 2019
🔵🔴 Born in La Masia. Made at @FCBarcelona
⚽ #Messi600
🙌 YannDalon pic.twitter.com/hozsNbe78p
He and long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo - who scored his 600th career goal four days ago - are the only players to net against six teams from the same country (also English teams), but the Argentine has scored 14 more against English clubs than the Portuguese.
His Champions League record is 112 goals, second only to Ronaldo, who has 126.
He enjoys playing against English teams.
Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde paid tribute to his captain: "Messi always surprises you. I don't know how he does it. He also does it in times when we need it."
Former Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher said: "Messi did not dictate the game but he came alive to become the decisive goalscorer."
Ex-Wales midfielder Robbie Savage at the Nou Camp said: "Wow. Wow. Absolutely incredible from Messi. The goalkeeper Allison had no chance."
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