Leo Messi will hardly forget tonight's game against Huesca and surely Xavi Hernández won't either. Fate has wanted to reunite the two almost six years after the Blaugrana myth decided to leave the club, with a hat trick under his arm, setting his sights on Qatar. Well, more than destiny, the insatiable ability of Leo Messi to add games and accumulate goals. And it is that tonight, The Argentine star will break a record that Xavi Hernández has kept in force for more than five years: the player with the most official matches in the club's history, with a total of 767.
Messi will reach 767 today, so for a few days there will still be a shared regency, what It will surely be resolved next Sunday against Real Sociedad, as long as Leo does not see a yellow card, which would force him to serve a penalty game. The club wanted to honor such a feat with an emotional banner that occupied the first tier of one of the Camp Nou goals. On the canvas you could read the slogan, ‘767 games touched in heaven’, and a photo of the two players dressed as Blaugrana, hugging from behind, wearing their respective numbers, 6 and 10, and pointing to the sky with the index finger.
To get here, Leo has needed to play 510 league games, 149 in the Champions League, 79 in the King's Cup, 20 in the Spanish Super Cup, 5 in the Club World Cup and 4 in the European Super Cup. With a total balance of 535 victories, 140 draws and 91 defeats, in the absence of knowing the result tonight.