In the same week that he equalled the Champions League goalscoring record, Lionel Messi now has his sights set on the all-time La Liga record as Barcelona travel to lowly Almeria this afternoon.
The Argentine scored both his team’s goals as they bounced back from two successive defeats to clinch a place in the last 16 of the Champions League with a 2-0 win at Ajax on Wednesday.
That brace took him level with Real Madrid legend Raul at the top of the Champions League scoring charts on 71, and one ahead of rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
Today’s game now gives Messi an opportunity to score the one goal he needs to level with – or two to overtake – legendary Athletic Bilbao ace Telmo Zarra with 251 strikes in La Liga.
Barca coach Luis Enrique was unequivocal in his support for his most high-profile player, but also emphasised that individual accolades are less meaningful than team honours.
“Messi is the best player of all time, the best I have ever seen,” said Enrique.
“But what makes a great player is winning titles.”
Barca are keen to ensure that Wednesday’s win over Ajax signals an upturn in their league form after losing their last two outings against Real Madrid and Celta Vigo which has left them in fourth place.
They will fully expect to defeat an Almeria team who are just one point clear of the relegation zone, having picked up no points from their last three games and failed to win at home all season.
However, Enrique was in a prickly mood on a number of subjects, particularly the midweek omission of Gerard Pique, whose regular absences this season have led to reports of a rift.
“Pique is doing everything expected of him as a player,” he said.
“I’ll leave the exaggerations to you.
“I’m happy with all of my central defenders and I’ve not seen any players have a bad attitude all season.”
Enrique also ruled out the possibility of bolstering his midfield by redeploying Javier Mascherano to the centre of the pitch alongside Sergio Busquets, a move which has been widely advocated by many pundits following Barca’s struggles to establish control in big games.
“I’ve never played with a ‘double pivot’ in midfield throughout my whole managerial career,” he said.
“They could play together, but not like that.”
And the Barca boss’s tetchiness was further evident from his response to the question of whet-her Barca should continue to play La Liga if their region of Catalonia gains political independence from Spain.
“I keep my opinions to myself,” he said. “They’re not of interest to anybody.”
