Messi Surpasses Pele's Milestone of Goals in a Calendar Year

The Argentine wizard Lionel Messi surpassed Pele's milestone of 75 goals in a calendar year after scoring twice in Barcelona's 4–2 win over Mallorca.

Messi now has 76 goals to his name in 2012, leaving him just nine short of Gerd Mueller's mark with a month and a half remaining in the year.

Messi has scored 15 goals in La Liga and 20 in all competitions this season after setting a Spanish league record of 50 goals last season.

He is a favorite to win his third straight FIFA Ballon d'Or award for the world's best footballer.