Sports

Barca’s Messi nets again to reach 60-goal landmark

ZARAGOZA, Spain — Soccer superstar Lionel Messi netted another landmark as he became the first player in almost 40 years to score 60 goals in a single top-flight European season.

Messi reached the milestone with two strikes in Barcelona’s 4-1 win over Real Zaragoza on Saturday.

His blisteringly hot streak in front of goal has seen him score 23 goals in his last 12 games, suggesting he is well on course to break German legend Gerd Muller’s all-time European goals record.

Messi needs only eight more goals to surpass Muller, who scored 67 times for Bayern Munich in the 1972-73 campaign, with Barca guaranteed to play at least nine games toward the end of the season.

Messi’s goals Saturday were his 37th and 38th in La Liga, while he has added 14 in the UEFA Champions League, including five in a single game against Bayer Leverkusen.

The Argentinean maestro also scored twice in the Copa del Rey, three times in the Supercopa, once in the UEFA Super Cup and twice in the Club World Cup.