Lionel Messi has now been directly involved in 40+ goals in 10 of his 16 LaLiga seasons

While Barcelona have seemingly blown away ir chance to retain LaLiga title, ir captain Lionel Messi continues to churn out numbers like he usually does. On Sunday night (Monday IST), Lionel Messi was once again best player on pitch, helping Barcelona to dominant 4-1 win at Villareal. While Argentine forward failed to get on scoresheet, he impressed with his all-round performance and even mand to bag a couple of assists.

With his two assists against Villareal, Messi has been involved in 41 goals this season for Barcelona (22 goals and 19 assists). This means Catalan captain has been involved in 40 or more goals in 10 of his 16 LaLiga seasons. 

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All season, Lionel Messi has been standout player for Barcelona, who have t always impressed with ir performances. Catalan giants resumed season last month with a two-point lead over Real Madrid. However, back-to-back draws against Atletico Madrid and Celta Vigo meant lead has fizzled into a four-point deficit. 

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Lionel Messi stats vs Villareal

Back in March, Lionel Messi broke 40-goal mark in all competitions for 10th time in his Barcelona career. On Sunday night, he topped it up with ar milestone under his belt. Against Villareal, 33-year-old put in yet ar flawless shift for his side. His assist for Luis Suarez's goals (Barcelona's second) was a moment of individual brilliance.

diminutive forward picked up ball deep before dancing past a host of Villareal players. He n slid-in an inch-perfect pass to Luis Suarez for a first-time finish. His second assist of match came at stroke of half time when a simple backheel allowed Antoine Griezmann to execute a sublime chip into back of net. In second half, Lionel Messi had one goal ruled out for offside in second half while he struck crossbar late in stopp time with a freekick. 

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Lionel Messi transfer

Meanwhile, Lionel Messi Barcelona future has been questioned repeatedly since reports indicated 33-year-old could leave Spanish giants at end of season. Messi has reportedly fallen out with manr Quique Setien, which fueled rumours that a Lionel Messi transfer might just be in cards in coming transfer window. 

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(Im Credits: Barcelona Twitter Handle)