Messi makes history at Copa Del Rey after returning from two-game ban
Barcelona captain was out of action after picking up his first red card for the club
Lionel Messi is back. Did you get a chance to miss him?
The Argentine striker returned to the pitch on Wednesday after a two-match suspension yanked him out of action earlier this month.
Messi picked up a red card on January 18 in the Supercopa de Espana — his first ever career red for Barcelona in 753 appearances for the club.
If you did miss him these past couple of matches — well, he made sure to make his return at the Copa del Rey memorable. After all, he wouldn’t be Messi if he didn’t make history.
The 33-year-old striker made his 76th appearance in the Copa del Rey, making him the player with the most appearances for Barcelona in the competition. He overtook Josep Samitier for the honour.
To make things even sweeter for fans, Barcelona beat Rayo Vallecano away with a 2-1 scoresheet, aided by a goal from Messi at the 69th minute.
That means captain Messi got his team into the quarterfinals.
And while Messi won the competition six times to date, another win could let him equal a record set by Agustin Gianza, who has seven Copa del Ray wins for Barcelona.