Lionel Messi: Spectacular Striker Sets New Barcelona Goal-Scoring Mark

It was inevitable, but brilliant nonetheless.

Lionel Messi moved ahead of Cesar Rodriguez on Barcelona's all-time goal-scoring list with yet another hat trick—his 10th of the season—against Granada on Tuesday.

Rodriguez's record of 232 goals, a number reduced from 235 after a study by the club, had stood since 1955, until Messi put through his 233rd and 234th as a member of the Blaugrana.

This speaks volumes of what Messi has been able to accomplish at the tender age of 24. He's already put through 54 goals this season, surpassing a career high established during the 2010-11 campaign, and has shown no signs of slowing down.

What's more, he's done it all while playing under the brightest lights, on the grandest stage, for the biggest club in the world, amidst the ghosts of some of the greatest players of football's past.

With his place as the Blaugrana's greatest already cemented, Messi can continue his assault on the global record books. He needs to find the net but 12 more times this season to equal Ferenc Deak's all-time single-season mark.

Messi still has a long road ahead to catch Pele, though he may well surpass fellow Argentine Diego Maradona's career total of 258 club goals before the calendar year is through.

The mere fact that Messi could force himself into such a conversation is a testament, in and of itself, to his brilliance on the attack. Barring any major injuries from here on out, King Leo figures to find himself etched even more prominently into the annals of football history before his playing days are through.

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