BARCELONA (Web Desk) – Lionel Messi’s equaliser in the Catalan derby against Espanyol on Sunday was the player’s 400th goal for Barcelona.
Luis Enrique’s side fell behind to Sergio Garcia’s goal, but Messi levelled with a stunning strike from outside the area which curled low into the bottom corner to bring Barca level just before the interval.
That was his 372nd official strike for the Blaugrana and his 28 in friendlies for the Catalan club meant he had reached a new milestone as he became the only player in history to register 400 strikes for a Spanish side.
The Argentine attacker then put Barca ahead with another special strike in the second half to make it 401 in a total of 486 games for the club.
With that goal, he also drew level with Cesar Rodriguez on 11 strikes against Espanyol and became the derby’s all-time top scorer with his third (and 402nd for Barca including friendlies) later in the game as he dribbled through the heart of the visitors’ defence, played the ball to Pedro and slotted home the return pass with a neat finish.
