Sports statisticians Opta say that they have a different tally for the Argentine
Star man: Lionel Messi has (maybe) scored 501 career goals
Lionel Messi may not have scored 501 career goals after all.
It was widely reported on Wednesday night that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner had passed the milestone during Barcelona's 7-0 dismantling of Gary Neville's Valencia.
Messi
scored three at the Nou Camp, taking his tally to 24 in 27 for the
season, and - it was initially thought - 501 for his entire career.
But sports statisticians Opta say that they have a different tally for the Argentina captain.
So where has that discrepancy come from?
Early days: Messi playing for Argentina in 2005
2012: Messi celebrates scoring against Real Madrid
Opta say that while they count 485, other sources have Messi
netting 14 times for the Argentina Under-20s side and twice for the
Under-23 side.
The statistics experts are able
to give an exact breakdown of the 485 - but have been unable to
determine the validity of the additional 16.
This is not the
first time a player's goal tally has been questioned. Playing for Vasco
de Gama on May 20 2007, Brazil legend Romario reportedly scored his
1,000th career goal.
But due to the inability to verify a considerable number of his strikes, the milestone was, and still is, contested.
2014: Messi scores against Nigeria at the World Cup
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