FCBARCELONA.CAT

24.09.2009 12:25

Two at a time

Sandra Sarmiento

With his two goals against Santander, Messi has now scored braces in three of the seven official matches he has played.

He played one game less than his colleagues because he went to play for Argentina against Brazil, but this has not stopped Leo Messi being the top scorer in the team with seven goals. Five of these were in the league, meaning his is tied at the top of the leading goalscorer charts with Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Valencia’s David Villa.

Best goalscoring start

In Santander, Messi scored two goals to help Barça to a wonderful victory at the Sardinero. This is the best scoring start to a campaign for the Argentinian since he started playing for Barça. He produced two exceptional shots that the local keeper, Toño, was powerless to stop going in.

In game two of the season he also scored with a header against Getafe. And just after renewing his contract, he was on target twice against Atlético Madrid, and then scored two again against Racing.

Three braces in a month

Last season, Messi was frequently on target twice in the same game. He did it no less than 7 times in the first season under Guardiola, 6 times in the League against Sevilla, Santander and at the Bernabéu, for example, and also got two in a Champions League fixture against Bayern as the club marched triumphantly on towards Rome.

This year he has done it three times already, for as well as the two league games, he also got two against Athletic Club Bilbao at Camp Nou in the Super Cup. Messi is on course for a record breaking year.