soccer
Messi makes 800th senior appearance against Nantes
PSG's Lionel Messi is set to hit yet another milestone in his long and hugely successful career by making his 800th senior club appearance on Saturday.
Lionel Messi is expected to make the 800th senior appearance of his club career after being named in Paris Saint-Germain's squad to face Nantes on Saturday.
The Argentine ace is joined by Neymar in Mauricio Pochettino's 22-man travelling party for the trip to Stade de la Beaujoire, where the Ligue 1 leaders have the chance to move 16 points clear at the top of the table. Should he feature, Messi will reach the latest milestone of his stellar career, over 17 years after Frank Rijkaard handed him his Barcelona debut against Espanyol in October 2004.
The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner would make his 22nd appearance for PSG, since joining from Barça on a free transfer last summer, and having scored seven times for the Parisians so far.
Messi, the Barcelona's record appearance maker and scorer, played 778 times for the Blaugranas in all competitions, netting 672 goals. Under Pep Guardiola, Messi played more games (219) and scored more goals (211) than with any other coach, while he is one of only two players to have netted 100 Champions League goals, with his tally of 125 behind only Cristiano Ronaldo's 140. The 34-year-old is also approaching 1,000 career appearances, having won a record 158 caps for Argentina since his debut in 2005.
Neymar set to start
Meanwhile, Neymar is in contention to make his first start since suffering an ankle injury against Saint-Étienne in November. The Brazil international, who returned as a substitute during Tuesday's Champions League win over Real Madrid, has endured a series of injury issues since his own move from Barcelona to Paris in 2017. Indeed, he has failed to make over 20 Ligue 1 starts in a single season to date.