Football
Sam Marsden, Barcelona correspondent 7y

Lionel Messi reaches 500: Barcelona icon's most important goals

Not many players reach 500 goals for their club. Even fewer reach it in the spectacular fashion Lionel Messi did on Sunday. 

Having already scored once, the Argentine forward applied the finishing touch to a move that had begun by the Barcelona corner flag as Luis Enrique's side beat Real Madrid 3-2 to move to the top of La Liga.

Twelve years have passed since a floppy-haired Messi scored his first Barca goal, lobbing Albacete goalkeeper Raul Valbuena. In the years that have followed, his career has been marked by his remarkable consistency in scoring goals that are not just brilliant but also important.

There have been hat tricks against Madrid, title-clinchers at the Vicente Calderon, dazzling Copa del Rey final solo efforts, Champions League heroics, Super Cup winners (also against Madrid) ... you get the idea.

ESPN FC take a look at which five goals have been the most important. The order is up to you -- is there any we've missed? Have your say by voting in the poll and in the comments below.

Getafe: April 19, 2007

The logic behind the inclusion of this goal differs from the four that will follow. While the others all meant -- or could still mean -- something significant, this goal actually served for very little. It did help Barcelona beat Getafe 5-2, but Frank Rijkaard's side went on to lose the second leg, exiting the Copa del Rey in the semifinal.

So what's it doing here? Well, despite having scored a hat trick against Madrid one month before, this was arguably the goal that cemented Messi's status as a superstar. His Diego Maradona-like slalom around five Getafe players left the crowd speechless and was replayed over and over again across the world.

Significant for Barca? Perhaps not. Important for Messi? Definitely. It set the stage for everything that was set to come.

Real Madrid: April 27, 2011

According to Xavi Hernandez, this Messi effort was "practically the greatest goal of all-time." The stage is the Bernabeu. It's a Champions League semifinal first leg, the third of four Clasico fixtures in just 18 days, and it comes during the height of the rivalry between Pep Guardiola's Barca and Jose Mourinho's Madrid. But by the end of the game, the only name on anyone's lips is Messi's.

Having already scored the game's first goal, Messi drifted past five Madrid players before sliding the ball beyond goalkeeper Iker Casillas with his weaker right foot. It was celebrated at the time as one of the greatest goals in the history of the competition, and it ended up proving the goal that pushed Barca into the final, where they would beat Manchester United.

Manchester United: May 28, 2011

A month after quietening the Bernabeu, Messi scored the second of his two Champions League final goals. The first had also come against United, in 2009, when he headed in at the far post to seal a 2-0 win for Guardiola's side.

This goal was not just better -- a darting run and a hammered finish from the edge of the box -- but came at a more important moment. Wayne Rooney had cancelled out Pedro's opener and the score was level going into the second half when Messi made his mark in the 54th minute.

Bayern Munich: May 6, 2015

The anticipation going into this game was huge, and it was heightened even further when Messi announced he would do Barcelona's pregame news conference. In front of a packed press room at the Ciutat Esportiva, he spoke about his relationship with Guardiola, who was returning for the first time as Bayern Munich coach, and you could see how desperate he was to produce another big-game performance. And he did.

The only problem is picking which goal was more important: the first or the second? The first broke the deadlock, a fine strike past Manuel Neuer in the 77th minute with little to no back lift, but the second began to take the tie away from Bayern. On top of that, it was a work of art. Messi left Jerome Boateng on the floor, swallowed up by a nonexistent black hole, and then produced his trademark chipped finish over Neuer.

Neymar would add a third in stoppage time, and Barca would go on to clinch their second ever treble that month. Messi, of course, provided some of the key moments: the title-clinching goal against Atletico Madrid and a remarkable individual effort in the Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao.

Real Madrid: April 23, 2017

And that brings us back to Sunday night: Messi stood in front of the Madrid fans, his shirt held out in front of him, urging them to read his name. For the second time this season, he was overcome with emotion and we were left with yet another iconic photograph of the 29-year-old.

Having been battered and bruised throughout the game -- an elbow to the mouth from Marcelo drew blood, Casemiro persistently fouled him, Sergio Ramos was sent off for a two-footed challenge -- Messi, having already scored once, popped up to score the winning goal in a five-goal thriller in the 92nd minute.

It will be remembered for a very long time. But it will be remembered for even longer if it serves for Barcelona to now go on and win La Liga.

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