Leo Messi donned the captain armband for the first time in an official match for FC Barcelona. He did it at the Camp Nou, against Rayo Vallecano, when Andrés Iniesta gave the captaincy to the Argentine forward when he was subbed off on 63 minutes.
The absence of the three Barça captains in the starting line-up (Puyol and Xavi due to injury, Valdés due to suspension) meant that Iniesta started the match as Barça’s captain. The substitution of the Spaniard in the second half, when the match was all but decided (3-0), saw the captain armband make its way to the Argentine. Messi had already captained the team in various friendly matches.
Getting on the scoresheet for 18 consecutive matches
Messi’s captaincy happened to coincide with yet another fantastic display from the Argentine, who took his overall goal tally in La Liga to 42 this evening. The player, who has netted in 18 consecutive La Liga matches (29 goals), scored a brace against Rayo. His first was scored when he slotted the ball to the near post of Rubén’s goal after a great through ball from David Villa; in the second, he chipped the keeper after a phenomenal play and pass from the Asturian.
If Messi manages to score against Celta on Week 29 of La Liga, it would take his goalscoring streak to 19 consecutive matches, a feat no other footballer has ever matched. It’s worth noting that last week, Messi broke Teodor Peterek’s longstanding record of scoring in 16 consecutive league matches set in 1938.
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