Lionel Messi makes 500th appearance for Barcelona

It was Oct. 16, 2004 when Lionel Messi, then 17 years old and with a mop of hair that bounced around as he ran, first took the pitch for Barcelona, doing so as a substitute for Deco in a La Liga victory over its Catalan rival, Espanyol.

That was the beginning of the most illustrious career in Camp Nou history.

On Wednesday, over 11 years since that historic debut, Messi made his 500th appearance for Barcelona as the Catalan club defeated Real Betis 4-0 in a fixture that saw the Argentinian phenom tally his 425th career goal for the Blaugrana.

(Courtesy: ESPN FC)

Messi's 425th goal, which came in the first half after he recovered from a scary collision involving Antonio Adan, means that he averaged a phenomenal 0.85 goals per game throughout the first 500 appearances at Barcelona. His scoring rate at the Camp Nou during that time was, remarkably, even better, as he scored a jaw-dropping 237 goals in just 239 appearances.

The Argentine phenom also completed his first 500 appearances for Barcelona having contributed 26 trophies to club's cabinet - seven from La Liga, four from the Champions League, and three from the Copa del Rey.

There is, simply put, no player who has entered his or her 500th appearance with such an astounding list of accomplishments, and it's a terrifying prospect to think Messi, 28, still has so many chapters left to write in the story of his career.

Messi finds himself 267 appearances shy of Xavi, his former teammate, who holds Barcelona's club record for most appearances (767).