Lionel Messi to pass Barcelona's all-time record appearances: his remarkable statistics - in pictures

Lionel Messi is set to equal Xavi Hernandez's record as Barcelona's highest all-time appearance maker in Monday's La Liga match at home to Huesca, completing a triple crown of the most prestigious records with the Catalan club. Messi will join former midfielder Xavi on 767 matches in all competitions against Huesca at Camp Nou and then move clear as Barca's record appearance maker when his side visit Real Sociedad next Sunday. The appearance record is one of the few milestones Messi had yet to achieve in his amazing career with Barca, where he joined aged 13 in 2000 before making his debut in 2004. He surpassed Cesar as their all-time top scorer in 2012 and to date has 659 goals for the club, while he overtook Andres Iniesta as Barcelona's most decorated player in August 2018 and has gone on to lift 34 trophies with the team. The 33-year-old Messi also holds Barca's records for most assists (289), most hat-tricks (48) and most goals in a single-season, a jaw-dropping 73 in the 2011-12 campaign. Outside of club records, he became La Liga's all-time top scorer in 2014 and has won the Ballon d'Or, awarded to the best player in the world each year, six times. “The fact he is about to equal Xavi’s number of games is incredible," said Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman ahead of Monday's game. "But you also have to look at all the goals he has scored and the trophies he has lifted. Everything he has done is remarkable." Check out the photo gallery above to see Messi's record season by season. To move on to the next photo, click on the arrows or if using a mobile device, simply swipe.

Lionel Messi to pass Barcelona's all-time record appearances: his remarkable statistics - in pictures

The Argentine superstar will match Xavi's 767 games against Huesca