Argentine superstar Lionel Messi yesterday became the first player to score 50 goals in a Spanish season as Barcelona maintained their eight-point lead over arch-rivals Real Madrid in the La Liga title race.
Messi reached the landmark when he found the target three minutes from time in his team’s 2-0 win over Osasuna.
He had already equalled the previous best mark of 49 goals scored by Real Madrid legend Ferenc Puskas when he netted in the 1-1 draw against Real last weekend.
Earlier, Real had crushed Valencia 6-3 to set the foundation for Wednesday’s mouth-watering Champions League semi-final first-leg clash against Barcelona.
Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain made the most of his opportunity with a hat-trick while Brazilian star Kaka grabbed a brace.
Frenchman Karim Benzema had opened the score for Real on 23 minutes.
Valencia scored their goals after the interval through Roberto Saldado, Jonas Goncalves and Jordi Alba.