Lionel Messi Bernabeu Goal Tribute Would Be Odd, Admits Andoni Zubizarreta

Barcelona sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta believes it would be "odd" for Lionel Messi to receive a match-stopping tribute if he breaks Telmo Zarra's all-time La Liga goalscoring record at the Bernabeu.

The Argentinian is three goals away from beating Zarra's total of 251 goals in the domestic top flight. He is set to face Eibar, followed by Real Madrid, meaning it is possible he could set a new total in the capital.

Javier Tebas, president of the Spanish professional football league, confirmed his intentions to stage a tribute immediately after Messi shatters the old landmark. Tebas asked reporters, "Why can't we pay tribute to Messi at the Bernabeu?"

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Zubizarreta doesn't seem to believe hosting such a tribute on the turf of rivals is a problem, but he does think staging it during the middle of the match would kill momentum at the Clasico, as he told Esport3 (h/t Marca):

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That smacks more of American football or basketball, which are more like spectacles and have more stoppages. It would be odd in football. He deserves some sort of acknowledgment, though. I'd settle for him scoring against Eibar and Real and us winning both games. We've seen the Bernabeu applaud Barça players in the past and vice-versa.

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There is always the chance Madrid fans could respond poorly to such a situation, particularly if it means Los Blancos are going to suffer defeat, but memories of fans applauding Ronaldinho will come flooding back. A mutual respect for world-class stars is often shown on the football pitch. It would, after scoring so many goals, be a great injustice for Messi to be booed in front of rival fans.

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Zubizarreta's point underlines the main problem, however. Any significant break in play amplifies the risk of injury and also breaks up what could be match-winning momentum. The logistical side of it doesn't add up. Should Messi score with 10 minutes left on the clock, would the final portion of the game be held up? It's a situation that makes little sense.

Messi deserves to celebrate in front of his own fans—those for whom he has scored these goals. These are the people who have paid to see him over the last decade and have stuck by him during difficult times.

Even if Messi scores at the Bernabeu and a presentation is held on the pitch after the match, there's no guarantee the home support would stay to applaud him. Spanish league officials will be maximising the likelihood of something going wrong by failing to hold off if Oct. 25's grudge match proves to be the pivotal day.

Carmen Zarra, daughter of the legendary Telmo, is looking forward to seeing her father's record broken, as she told Radio Catalunya, (h/t Dermot Corrigan of ESPN FC):

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My father retired from football in 1953-54. Almost 60 years have passed since then. Now the time has come for someone to break it. I would have liked it to have been someone from Athletic (Bilbao). But for sure my father would have been delighted with Messi, because he seems a very noble person on and off the pitch.

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Considering Messi could have another decade in the top flight, it's frightening to consider how long his eventual total will take to beat, if it's ever to be broken. Both his dedication to Barcelona and his era-defining ability are rare, so it's unlikely another player will come close to shattering his final number.

Solely sticking to La Liga isn't something most top stars do these days. It is perhaps exciting to realise that once Messi breaks the record, every goal thereafter will pencil a new number into the history books.

Like Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid, Messi is a rarity in that his insane goalscoring numbers are criticised if he fails to perform for a couple of weeks. He is also an individual who commands the utmost respect and deserves a celebration in his honour, just not halfway through one of the season's most important matches.