Messi equals Ronaldo's record of goals as debate on who the greatest footballer continues

- Lionel Messi has now matched Cristiano Ronaldo's tally in open play goals

- The Barcelona superstar scored a brace and helped his side to a 5-1 win over Alaves

- Messi has scored 18 goals in all competition this season while Ronaldo has scored 27

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Lionel Messi helped Barcelona to a 5-1 win over Deportivo Alaves at the Camp Nou as the Argentine equalled Cristiano Ronaldo 573 goals in open play.

The Juventus striker might be the highest goalscorer in the history of football but Messi's brace against the visiting side matched the Portuguese's feat.

The 33-year-old produced a five-star performance and he was also instrumental when he came in as a substitute in Barca's 3-2 win over Real Betis.

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Napoli end Juventus 3-match unbeaten run as Ronaldo fires blank

According to recent statistics, the six-time Ballon d'Or winner is now at par with his fiercest rival in terms of goals scored from open play.

Ronaldo failed to find the back of the net when Juve lost 1-0 to Napoli in a Serie A clash played at the Estadio Diego Maradona stadium over the weekend.

However, the 36-year is having a fantastic season as he has already scored around 25 goals in all competitions this campaign in almost the same number of games he has played.

Barcelona are currently in third position behind Real Madrid in La Liga and the possibility of Messi landing his first trophy as captain is slim

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng had earlier reported that Lionel Messi could have been sent off in Barcelona's Copa del Rey defeat to Sevilla at the Sanchez Pizjuan.

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Messi involved in another off-the-ball incident during loss to Sevilla that could get him suspended

Jules Kounde had put the home team in the first half ahead and while Barca were still trailing by 1-0, the incident occurred midway through the second half.

Messi had nutmegged Joan Jordan and the referee called for a foul for obstructing the Barcelona captain.

Akan Anwankwo is a sports editor with Legit.ng and has 7 years of field and office experience. He graduated from the University of Lagos in 2014 with a Bachelors degree in English and Literature Studies. Akan intends to educate, inform and make readers passionate about sports. Learn more about him on his Twitter handle: @ anwankwo_akan

Source: Legit.ng