Messi beats his personal record for matches played

Leo Messi has made sixty-eight appearances and scored a record-breaking 73 goals. This Saturday he is set to establish a new personal record of 69 matches played if he takes part in the friendly between Argentina and Brazil in New York.

An early starter

Leo Messi made his competitive first team debut under Frank Rijkaard on 16^th of October in 2004 against local rivals Espanyol.  Since then, the Argentine international has made 398 appearances for Argentina and FC Barcelona.  In his first season, 2004/05, he made 9 appearances at the age of just 17.

Rapid progression

In the 2005/06 season, the Barça number '10’ played in 35 matches.  In the following season, his total increased to 46 before reaching an impressive 50 appearances in the 2007/08 season.  In the 2008/09 season, with Pep Guardiola at the helm, Leo Messi became the lynchpin of the team and played in 60 competitive matches.

Over the last three seasons, Messi has passed the 60-match barrier, counting his appearances for Barça and for Argentina: 64 in 2009/10, 66 in 2010/11 and, if he plays on Saturday, reaching an all-time high of 69 this season.