Messi scores on Barca record appearance

Barcelona thrashed Real Sociedad 6-1 in La Liga, with Lionel Messi scoring two goals in his record breaking 768th appearance for the Spanish giants.

As Barca closed the gap on leaders Atletico Madrid to four points, the Argentina forward, 33, went one game clear of former midfielder Xavi's total appearance as a Barcelona player, reports BBC.

Antoine Griezmann scored the game's first goal, Sergino Dest added two more goals, and Ousmane Dembele also scored.

Messi did not disappoint on his historic night, displaying the same energy and passion he has shown for the Catalan club throughout his career and also he now has 23 goals in the league this season.

Messi's first major contribution was to assist American Dest in scoring his first goal for Barcelona. Messi now has eight assists in the 2020-21 season thanks to the threaded through-ball.

Messi finally got his well-deserved reward in the second half, poking home Barca's fourth after testing Sociedad goalkeeper Alex Remiro twice in the first half.

At 5-0 down, Ander Barrenetxea scored Sociedad's consolation goal with arguably the best strike of the night, but it was far too late for Imanol Alguacil's side to mount a comeback at the Anoeta Stadium.

The icing on the cake for Messi came on 89 minutes when the Argentine's good link-up play with left-back Jordi Alba resulted in a second goal on his special night.

As much as the three points were a welcome birthday gift for boss Ronald Koeman, Barca still trails league leaders Atletico Madrid in the race to become champions.