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BUDWEISER has shamelessly dispensed beers to every goalkeeper Lionel Messi has scored against throughout his brilliant career.
The iconic Barcelona striker broke Pele’s record of 643 goals for a single club with a goal against Real Valladolid on Tuesday that took him to 644.
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And Budweiser marked the occasion by giving bottles to goalies who had failed to keep Messi at bay.
Among those who received a special selection were Jan Oblak of Atlético de Madrid and Gianluigi Buffon of Juventus.
Kepa Arrizabalaga, Chelsea’s £ 71 million cap, also received a few bottles, looking pleased with himself as he posed for photos.
Messi’s 644 goal came in a much-needed 3-0 win over humble Valladolid.
With his team already leading 2-0, thanks to the first-half efforts of Clement Lenglet and Martin Braithwaite, Messi received a good cue from Pedri in the 65th minute.
The 33-year-old took it to perfection, before conceding an unstoppable effort with his left foot past the defenseless goalkeeper.
Messi achieved the feat in his 749th outing with the Blaugrana.
Pele, however, can privately refute the achievement, as he claimed to have scored 1,283 goals during his illustrious career.
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But official records show that only 643 arrived in ‘official’ matches, though only 656 of those were needed for Santos to reach the count.
On Saturday, when his record was equalized, the 80-year-old Brazilian sent a heartfelt congratulation to Messi.
He wrote: “When your heart overflows with love, it is difficult to change your path.
“Like you, I know what it is to love to wear the same shirt every day. Like you, I know that there is nothing better than the place where we feel at home.
“Congratulations on your historical record, Lionel. But above all, congratulations on your beautiful career at Barcelona.
“Stories like ours, of loving the same club for so long, will unfortunately be increasingly rare in football. I admire you very much.”
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