Lionel Messi is all set to capture one more Barcelona record, as he is edging closer towards the prospect of becoming the youngest ever Barcelona player to make 200 appearances for the club.

Lionel Messi is regarded to be one of the best players in the world. The Argentine star began his career with Barcelona at the age of 14, before making the first team debut at very young age. Since then, he has been one of the main members of the squad.

Following the departure of Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi has grown in stature even more. As a result, it is least bit surprising to know that Lionel Messi could soon become the youngest player for Barcelona to make 200 appearances.

The current holder of the record is midfielder Xavi. He made 200 appearances for Barcelona when he was just 25 years old, but it is remarkable to know that Lionel Messi will be able to beat that record by almost a year.

Lionel Messi is currently 24 years old. Sunday's match against Valencia will be historic for this reason, and Lionel Messi is expected to be part of the starting line-up. He was one of the best players in the last 16 Champions League match against Bayern Leverkusen in midweek. Barcelona managed to win the match 3-1, which almost guarantees them a passage into the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

In the 199 appearances Lionel Messi has played for Barcelona, the Argentine striker has scored 142 goals. This in itself is a brilliant record due to the fact that Lionel Messi has been able to average around 0.8 goals per game during this extraordinary years. In the matches he has represented Barcelona, the club have won the 147 matches, thus bringing in a win ratio of nearly 80 percentage.