Lionel Messi has left the podium of Barcelona’s youngest ever scorer after Gavi opened his account during the club’s victory over Elche.
It’s safe to assume that the player’s goalscoring exploits at the Camp Nou will never be matched, having scored an astonishing 672 goals during his 20-year career at the club.
But after leaving the La Liga giants for Paris Saint-Germain, the Argentine forward has started to see some of his more obscure records be broken.
On Saturday, Dusan Tadic broke what appeared to be another unreachable record, registering his 37th assist of the calendar year during Ajax’s match with AZ Alkmaar.
The former Southampton star has played a key role in Ajax’s recent success, including their memorable run to the UEFA Champions League semi final in 2019.
And his latest assist saw him eclipse the record Messi set during his remarkable 2011, which saw him score 73 times in 60 matches and create another 36 for his team-mates at the club.
Unsurprisingly, that saw him win the Ballon d’Or award, one of a record-breaking seven he has earned during his career.
But with two further matches in 2021, Tadic looks set to pull even further clear of Messi’s record, on a day where another of his Barcelona milestones were surpassed.
During the 3-2 victory over Elche, Gavi became the third youngest player to score for Barca, finding the net aged 17 years & 135 days.
That beat Messi, who opened his account at just 17 years and 331 days, with Gavi now behind only Bojan (17 years and 53 days) & Fati (16 years and 304 days).
But it isn’t only the player’s age that has led to comparisons with Barcelona’s greatest ever player and the goal had more than just a hint of Messi magic about it.
Picking the ball up with his back to goal around 40 yards out, Gavi turned his midfield before faking three defenders on the edge of the box, allowing him to put the ball into the bottom corner.
The youngster is said to be closing in on a new contract and looks set to play an instrumental role in the rebuilding job Xavi is undertaking.
