Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express.
Lionel Messi breaks another STUNNING La Liga record - overtakes Real Madrid legend
LIONEL MESSI played a key role as Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid at the Camp Nou on Saturday, and broke a historic La Liga record in the process.
Lionel Messi scored Barcelona’s second on Saturday night after Luis Suarez had given the home side a late lead.
The 31-year-old scored his 33rd league goal of the season - from just 29 games.
However, for once it wasn’t his goal-scoring prowess that made the headlines - and instead his wins total in the Spanish top flight.
The win handed Messi his 335th win in La Liga, one more than Real Madrid hero Iker Casillas could manage between 1999 and 2015.
Messi’s loyalty to Barcelona has made it possible to beat Casillas’ impressive total, with Saturday’s fixture being his 447th game in the competition.
The forward has been with the Catalan giants since he joined as a youngster in 2001, and supports have loved Messi ever since.
The connection between the player and the club has even led to which led to fans claiming online that the Argentina star is ‘God’.
Spanish TV station La Sexta have put that theory to the Pope, who expectedly shunned the claims.
"In theory, it is sacrilege. You can’t say it and I don’t believe it,” Pope Francis responded when host Jordi Evole asked if calling Messi God is sacrilege.
The Pope then laughed when the interviewer claimed that he believes Messi is indeed God.
He added: “I don’t [laughing]. People can say he is God, just as they may say ‘I adore you’, but only God can be worshipped.
“Those are expressions from people. ‘this is a God with the ball on the field’ is a popular way for someone to express themselves.”
The Pope wasn’t asked about his opinion of Cristiano Ronaldo during the interview, whom Messi admitted to missing last week, before complimenting Juventus.
"Yes [I miss him in La Liga]," he said. "It was great, although it was tough for me to watch him win titles.
"I have to say, it would be nice to still have him here.”