"It's a sporting feat": Messi broke Pele's record of goals for one club

According to Radio Sputnik, the 33-year-old Barcelona striker Lionel Messi has set a new world record for the number of goals scored per club. The Argentine scored for the 664th time for the Catalan club, breaking the record for Brazilian footballer Pele, who scored 643 goals in his career with Santos.

According to commentators, Messi's performances deserve great respect, and they can be called a "sporting feat". At the same time, Pele's record will still remain Pele's record, as well as the legendary Brazilian himself will remain a three-time world champion.

“On the one hand, it is, of course, great when records are beaten, but in this situation it is very difficult to compare what was and what is now”, - Alexander Kuzmak, a sports commentator for REN-TV, told Sputnik radio.

According to him, the time when Pele played, and the time when Lionel Messi plays, differs both in the number of matches and in the conditions that are somehow created for this or that player.

“This is definitely an outstanding achievement. On the one hand, this is a colossal sporting feat, on the other hand, it is simply not possible to break some records due to the fact that time has changed, and the player's role in the club has changed, his role in the relationship with the outside world of football has changed”, - the observer said.

Lionel Messi is a graduate of the Barcelona Football Academy. Has been playing in the team since the age of 17. Together with the club, he won ten Spanish titles, four UEFA Champions League, six Spanish Cups, eight Spanish Super Cups, three European Super Cups and three Club World Championships. He has been the top scorer of the UEFA Champions League six times and the Spanish Championship seven times. In 2011 he was named the best player in Europe.