"Makes me proud to be a part of this football club, and to be a Barca fan" - Lionel Messi sends message to Barcelona on club's 125th anniversary
Lionel Messi has provided a touching message to Barcelona as the club celebrated their 125th anniversary. Speaking to Radio Catalunya, the Argentine superstar claimed that he missed his time there and that he was proud to be a fan of the club.
He said:
"I was lucky that God lead me to Barcelona, and to spend my life at this beautiful club. I miss the club, I miss the city, I miss the people and I miss the love. I hope we can continue to succeed and that we can make this club bigger, and greater."
"I congratulate the club on their 125th anniversary. It makes me proud to be a part of this football club, and to be a Barça fan," Messi added.
In a glittering 17-year career with the side, Messi went on to establish himself as arguably the greatest player in the club's history. Joining as a teenager from Argentinian side Newell's Old Boys, he broke into the first team soon and lit Spain on fire for years.
In all, he made 778 appearances for Barcelona, collecting a scintillating 672 goals and 303 assists. He won La Liga 10 times, the Champions League five times and the Copa del Rey seven times.
Barcelona star reacts as he joins Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in elite UCL club
Robert Lewandowski became just the third player to bag 100 goals in the Champions League following his brace in Barcelona's 3-0 win over Stade Brestois. The Polish star emulated Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the only players to reach the milestone in Europe's top competition.
After the game, Lewandowski said (via press conference):
“I am very happy, very happy. 100 is a great figure. I didn’t think I could score so many goals in the Champions League. But I think it’s a big statement to say that I’m on the level of Ronaldo and Messi," he said.
Heading into the game, he was 99 goals in the tournament. He reached his century early in the first half, firing home a penalty to hand Barcelona the lead before adding to his tally with another late finish.
Ronaldo remains the top scorer in the history of the tournament, having collected an impressive 140 strikes. Messi is a close second with 129. Should Lewandowski remain at the top level for a few more seasons, he could topple the pair.