New tally puts Messi one goal from Barca record

Superstar Lionel Messi is just one goal away from matching the all-time scoring record held by the legendary Cesar Rodriguez, the club said today.

The Argentinian international has so far scored 231 goals for the Catalan giants and could equal or beat Rodriguez's tally of 232 goals as soon as Tuesday when they host Granada.

Previously, Rodriguez was believed to have scored 235 goals for Barcelona.

But "a study has revealed that the legendary Cesar Rodriguez in fact scored 232 goals, or just one more than the Argentinian, who could equal or beat that score against Granada," the club said on its web site.

Rodriguez played in the 1940s and 1950s and died in 1995 at the age of 74.

Barcelona conducted the study by consulting match sheets game by game, as well as other documentary sources, including the Catalan La Vanguardia newspaper, which was founded in 1881.

Barca are currently in second place in the Spanish league, eight points behind arch rivals Real Madrid. Madrid saw their 10-point lead cut at the weekend after a Malaga scored an injury-time equaliser on Sunday.

A Barcelona win would take them to within five points of Madrid, with the latter playing away at Villarreal on Wednesday.