AC Milan 1-1 Barcelona : Five talking points

Lionel Messi scored again in his first start for Barcelona since returning from injury, but AC Milan put up a good defensive show to hold the Catalans and earn a point at the San Siro.

Here are the five talking points from the game:

Messi might well catch Raul’s record before the end of the season

Lionel Messi fights for the ball against Sulley Muntari during last night’s match between AC Milan and Barcelona at the San Siro

At his current goal scoring rate, barring any major injuries, Messi might well end his career as the greatest goal scorer of his generation, or any generation for that matter. Whilst there were doubts about whether he would play in the game against Milan or not, he did eventually start and ended up playing a starring role in the game.

He scored Barcelona’s equalizer, which moved him into fourth place on the list of all-time leading Champions League goal scorers. With a hat-trick in his bag already and Raul only at 71 goals, it is not completely inconceivable that Messi breaks that record before the end of the current campaign. If that is to happen, Barcelona have to go a long way in the competition and that is certainly possible.