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Messi equals Ronaldo's record 41-goal mark

April 15, 2012 - 10:40 By 윤민식

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi scored a penalty against Levante on Saturday to match Cristiano Ronaldo's Spanish league record 41 goals in a season, set less than two hours earlier.

Messi converted the 72nd-minute spot kick to give Barcelona a 2-1 victory and equal rival Ronaldo, who set the record with a 74th-minute header in Real Madrid's 3-1 victory over Sporting Gijon.

Messi had trailed Ronaldo by two goals going into the match and curled home a 64th-minute equalizer to close the gap to one.

Football's biggest rivals gave the Spanish league its first-ever pair of players with 40-plus goals in a season, and it was the first time the feat had been achieved since 1930-31 when Aston Villa's Pongo Waring and Sheffield United's Jimmy Dunne passed the 40-goal mark.

Ronaldo matched his overall goal tally from last year after reaching 53 goals, while Messi's 63 goals in all competitions is the most in European play since Bayern Munich's Gerd Mueller scored 67 during the 1972-73 season.

The goals ensured Madrid maintained its four point lead over three-time defending champion Barcelona before next Saturday's ``clasico'' match between the bitter rivals, which could prove crucial in the title race with only four more games remaining after that.

``Things are going well, but the most important thing is for the team to do things well, and we're right in there for the league,'' Messi said after matching former Brazil striker Ronaldo and Mariano Martin's record run of scoring in 10 straight league games.

Both players have been altering the history books as Ronaldo became the first Spanish league player to score over 40 goals in back-to-back seasons, while Messi became the first player to score five in a Champions League game last month as his competition total of 14 goals is a record also.

Messi, Barcelona's all-time leading scorer at just 24, has scored 201 goals in 210 games under coach Pep Guardiola, who arrived in 2008.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, has scored 138 times in 137 appearances for Madrid since joining from Manchester United in 2009. Ronaldo's header also helped Madrid reach 107 goals on the season to match the record mark set by it during the 1989-90 season.

The pair of world player of the year winners can add to their overall season tallies in the Champions League this week as Madrid plays at Bayern Munich and Barcelona is at Chelsea. (AP)

 

<관련 한글 기사>


메시, 호날두 나란히 역대골 기록 갈아치워


최근 무서운 기세로 골을 몰아넣고 있는 스페인 프로축구 리그 바르셀로나 FC의 리오넬 메시와 레알 마드리드의 크리스티아누 호날두가 리그 최다 기록까지 같은 날 갈아치우며 각자 팀의 역전승을 이끌었다.

호날두는 14일(현지시간) 스포팅 기존과의 시합에서 레알 마드리드의 3대1승리를 결정짓는 쐐기골을 넣으며 시즌 41골로 기록을 세웠다.

그러나 불과 두 시간 후 메시가 레반테와의 경기에서 동점골과 역전골을 연이어 터뜨리며 호날두와 동률을 이루게 되었다.

기존 기록은 호날두가 2011년 세운 40골이다.

두 선수가 나란히 득점 공동선두에 오르며 득점왕 경쟁은 더욱 치열해질 전망이다.

두 선수가 한 리그에서 나란히 40개 골 이상을 기록한 것은 1930-31시즌에 영국 프리미어리그 애스톤 빌라의 퐁고 와링과 셰필드 유나이티드의 지미 던이 기록한 이후 처음이다.

아직 20대인 두 선수는 벌써부터 각종 역대 기록을 갈아치우고 있다. 호날두는 역대 최초로 40골 이상을 기록한 스페인 선수이며, 메시는 챔피언스 리그에서만 14골을 넣고, 챔피언스 리그 한 경기에서 5골을 넣어, 각 부문 기록을 보유하고 있다.

한편 레알 마드리드는 이번 승리로 지난 시즌 챔피언 바르셀로나와의 승점차를 4점으로 유지했다.