LIONEL MESSI broke Xavi Hernandez’s appearance record in La Liga on Sunday as he made his 506th appearance for Barcelona in the Spanish top flight against Cadiz.

Messi, 33, moved past former teammate Xavi in Sunday’s 1-1 draw in which the Argentine scored a first-half penalty. Messi’s strike against relegation-threatened Cadiz also extended his La Liga record of scoring against the most different opponents to 38.

The Argentine forward is also closing in on Xavi’s club record in all competitions. Xavi made 767 appearances for Barca before leaving in 2015.

Messi played his 761st game for the Blaugrana in the league game against Cadiz and is on track to surpass ex-teammate Xavi in March. The Barca captain is a long way out in front as the league’s top scorer, though. He has scored 459 times, with Cristiano Ronaldo second with 311 goals.(SD-Agencies)