Messi surpasses Pele with 644 goals as top scorer at a single club

Barcelona club superstar Lionel Messi scored his 644th goal for the La Liga giants on Tuesday after breaking Brazilian footballer Pele's record of 643 goals. Messi surpassed the legendary footballer's tally when he scored a 3-0 win at Valladolid.

Messi sent a note of gratitude to his teammates, family, friends and fans in an emotional post on Instagram on Wednesday.

He wrote, "When I started playing football, I never thought I would break any records, especially the one I broke today, which was Pele's. I can only thank everyone who's helped me all these years, my teammates, my family, my friends, and everyone who supports me every day,"

Messi has taken 749 matches for 644 goals while Pele got it in quicker time as he needed just 665 competitive games for Santos for 643 goals.

Pele had acknowledged Messi's feat. The Brazilian legend also stressed that longevity of star players at a single club has become a rarity in modern-day football.

"Congratulations on your historical record, Lionel. But above all, congratulations on your beautiful career at Barcelona. Stories like ours, of loving the same club for so long, unfortunately will be ever rarer in football. I admire you a lot," Pele wrote in a social media post.

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