Antoine Griezmann matches LaLiga record held by Lionel Messi after recent clash between Atletico Madrid and Barcelona

Atletico Madrid star Antoine Griezmann has matched Lionel Messi's record for the number of LaLiga appearances for a foreign player following their 4-2 loss to Barcelona on March 16. The Frenchman has spent the entirety of his senior team career playing for different teams in the Spanish league.

Antoine Griezmann rose from the ranks of the Real Sociedad academy, before making his senior team debut for the club in 2009. After his stint at Sociedad until 2014, the France international signed for Atletico Madrid (2014-2019) before moving to Barcelona. In 2022, Griezmann returned to join Los Colchoneros where he currently plies his trade.

On Sunday, March 16, Antoine Griezmann made his 520th appearance in LaLiga during Atletico Madrid's 4-2 loss to Barcelona at home. He equalled Lionel Messi's record of 520 LaLiga appearances for Barcelona for a non-Spanish player. Griezmann has contributed 198 goals and 95 assists across all clubs he represented in LaLiga. Meanwhile, Messi has contributed 474 goals and 216 assists in the league in the same number of appearances.

Interestingly, Antoine Griezmann has shared the pitch with Lionel Messi in 85 games for La Blaugrana, recording 12 joint-goal participations. Meanwhile, he has also played against the Argentine superstar 28 times for club and country, including in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Messi has won 17 times against the Frenchman, lost five times, and drew six games.

---

Lionel Messi's record for Barcelona in LaLiga explored

Messi - Source: Getty

Lionel Messi made his senior team debut for Barcelona in a 1-0 win against Espanyol in a LaLiga clash in October 2004 under coach Frank Rijkaard. He scored his first goal in the Spanish league in May 2005 in a 2-0 win over Albacete. Since his debut, La Pulga has created and shattered a barrage of records in the league, many of which remain untouched to date.

Messi has played in LaLiga for 17 seasons between 2004 and 2021, contributing 474 goals and 216 assists in 520 appearances across competitions. He has won the league title ten times with Barcelona. Messi won the LaLiga Pichichi award a record eight times for being the highest goalscorer in the league in a season.

Lionel Messi is the all-time highest goalscorer in LaLiga and holds the highest number of assists of all time in the league. The legendary Argentine has also won the European Golden Boot a record six times. Further, he has won 383 league games with Barca - no other player has won more fixtures in the league.

The Argentine superstar has been named the LaLiga Player of the Month a record eight times. He is also the only player to score more than 20 goals and assists in the league in a single season, i.e. 2019-20. Further, Messi has scored the most number of braces (116), hat-tricks (36), and free kicks (39) in the league.

Lionel Messi left Spanish football in 2021 as one of the greatest players to have graced LaLiga. It might be a while until some of his barrage of records are broken by next-generation players.