This will always be remembered as the week the Argentinian became the greatest year-long goalscorer

While Juan Manuel Marquez knocking out Manny Pacquiao was big news this week in the sporting arena, most headlines were of another Spanish speaker’s knockout of the great Gerd Mueller.

Lionel Andrés Messi, at a mere 25 years of age and an even smaller 169 centimetres, demoted the German in what for 40 years he was the best at – scoring goals.

Critics question the relevance of counting by the calendar year, but what’s unquestioned is that the Argentine wizard has 88 goals – and counting – in 2012 now.

That’s because he still has two games – Radamel Falcao’s Atletico Madrid and Real Valladolid – before New Year to set the record in stone.

Barring Cristiano Ronaldo’s equally out-of-this-world feats, in comparison, the prolific Robin van Persie only has 33 so far this calendar year.

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