Goal.com says Lionel Messi has joined Cristiano Ronaldo in reaching a half-century of Liga penalties, with the Barcelona superstar recording his 50th effort from the spot while hitting a six-year scoring high.
A talismanic presence for the Blaugrana was back among the goals against Valencia on Saturday.
Ernesto Valverde’s side had surprisingly fallen 2-0 down in that contest at Camp Nou.
Nelson Semedo was felled inside the box, presenting his captain with an opportunity to step up from 12 yards and Messi made no mistake as he cut Valencia’s advantage in two.
That effort took him to a half-century of successful penalties in the Spanish top flight, while also pulling Valencia’s lead back to a single goal.
He is just the third man to have reached that mark – with Ronaldo having proved prolific from the spot during his time at Real Madrid, while former Blancos striker Hugo Sanchez was also deadly.
Not since January 2013 has Messi enjoyed such a productive run in the Spanish top-flight, and he has now netted 11 in his last nine games to mark his best run of form in six years.
Messi already topped the Liga scoring charts for 2018-19 heading into a home date with Valencia and has now extended his lead over the chasing pack.
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