Barcelona forward Lionel Messi etched his name in football history with his 85th and 86th goals for club and country in 2012, breaking Gerd Müller's scoring record for a calendar year set in 1972.
The Argentina international grabbed the opener in the 16th minute with a trademark dribble and finish to move level with the German legend.
And the 25-year-old eclipsed the 1972 milestone with a familiar left-footed finish nine minutes later.
"The record is great for what it means, but the most important thing is that the team won and that we maintained the distance with the teams behind us," said Messi after the game.
"I was eager to play after the scare on Wednesday. I'll try to score more goals to make it more difficult for the next player that tries to break it.
"When the year starts the objective is to win it all with the team, personal records are secondary."
Messi has scored 74 goals for Barcelona and 12 times for Argentina this year, and he has three more games in which he can add to his tally before the end of the year.
Team Personal Also see:
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| Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has beaten Gerd Müller's record of 85 goals in a calendar year Photo: Getty Images |
The Argentina international grabbed the opener in the 16th minute with a trademark dribble and finish to move level with the German legend.
And the 25-year-old eclipsed the 1972 milestone with a familiar left-footed finish nine minutes later.
"The record is great for what it means, but the most important thing is that the team won and that we maintained the distance with the teams behind us," said Messi after the game.
"I was eager to play after the scare on Wednesday. I'll try to score more goals to make it more difficult for the next player that tries to break it.
"When the year starts the objective is to win it all with the team, personal records are secondary."
Messi has scored 74 goals for Barcelona and 12 times for Argentina this year, and he has three more games in which he can add to his tally before the end of the year.
Team Personal Also see:
