Lionel Messi broke Gerd Mueller’s record for goals in a calendar year as he scored his 86th of 2012 in Barcelona’s 2-1 win over Real Betis.
The Argentina international had been doubtful for the game with a knee injury but was named in Barcelona’s starting line-up and scored after just 16 minutes to level Mueller’s 40-year-old record of 85, set while playing for Bayern Munich in 1972.
The World Player of the Year then fired in a second to surpass the German legend as he took just 25 minutes to re-write the record books.
Mueller achieved his record with West Germany and Bayern, but Messi’s 74 for Barcelona and 12 for Argentina have taken him beyond the World Cup winner.
There was a second record for Messi, who now has 191 career Liga goals for Barcelona - more than anyone else in history. The previous record of 190 was held by Cesar Rodriguez, who played for the club in the 1940s and 50s.
Many more should follow for 'the flea', who is widely expected to win the World Player of the Year award for a fourth year running.
The 25-year-old’s first goal saw him dribble the ball beyond a stretched Betis defence before firing across goal and into the bottom corner.
His second was the result of a fabulous exchange with Andres Iniesta, whose backheel was hit first time into the far corner by a rampant Messi.
Messi has scored 56 in La Liga, 13 in the Champions League, three in the Copa del Rey and two in the Spanish Supercopa, with three games still to play before the end of the year.
Mueller, known as the "torpedo", set the record as a 27-year-old, netting 72 for Bayern and 13 for West Germany.
