Lionel Messi has done some outrageous things in his career and scored goals that nobody thought was possible.
The record six-time Ballon d'Or winner has produced plenty of amazing moments in an incredible career, but in a 3-0 win over Uruguay last night he achieved something that he had never done before - score with his own pass. Yes, with his own pass!
The 34-year ran into space and hit a pass with the outside of his left foot which flew all the way past Fernando Muslera for his 80th Argentina goal - the first South American footballer in history to reach that tally. Nicolas Gonzalez tried to meet the ball after sticking his toe out to meet it, but the goal was Messi's.
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It even caught the commentator off guard, who started shouting 'Gonzalez' with the ball heading towards the net. But, arguably, this latest Messi moment was more down to luck than anything else.
Aside from Messi's strike, further goals were then added by Rodrigo de Paul and Lautaro Martínez to seal a comprehensive win, and leave Argentina second in the South America qualifying group with 22 points from 10 games, six adrift of Brazil at the top.
"We played a great game," Messi told reporters, per Reuters, after the match. "Everything worked out perfectly."
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"Uruguay wait for you and they generate danger. Once we got the first goal we started to find space and the goals appeared."
Messi had already surpassed Pele's previous record haul of 77 goals after netting a hat-trick in a 3-0 qualifying win over Bolivia last month, and reached this latest milestone in outrageous fashion.
The Paris Saint Germain star's exploits have left Argentina firmly on course to reach next year's World Cup in Qatar, with the top four teams in the South American qualification group sealing automatic places in the finals.
It has not been plain-sailing on the club front for Messi though, after just managing just 1 goal in 5 appearances since signing for PSG in the summer. That came in a 2-0 Champions League victory over Manchester City at the Parc des Princes, meaning the Argentine is still waiting for his first Ligue 1 goal.
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But his focus remains on international football for now, and La Albiceleste are looking forward to their next qualifier against Peru on Friday.
Topics: Football, Goals, Lionel Messi, Argentina, Uruguay, Paris Saint Germain
