Manu Fernandez/Associated Press
LONDON — At the start of February, Lionel Messi broke another record. When Messi converted a penalty against Valencia, a few minutes before halftime, it was his 20th Liga goal of the season. He had reached that mark every year for the last 11 years. No player had done that before.
It is a fairly common occurrence, of course, Messi breaking a record. He broke two others in December: reaching the most wins for Barcelona, overtaking Xavi Hernández, and becoming the first player to score 10 Liga goals in 13 consecutive seasons. November, by contrast, was quiet: He only broke one, for Champions League goals scored for a single club.