Zambia’s Football Association is planning an official challenge to Lionel Messi’s record for the most goals scored in a calendar year – claiming the Barcelona forward’s tally of 86 was beaten in 1972.
Messi’s two goals at Real Betis on Sunday took him past Gerd Müller’s officially recognised 40-year-old record of 85 and he added to that last night in the Copa del Rey when he scored twice for Barcelona against Cordoba.
However, the Zambian Football Association told Soccer Laduma that they would present evidence to Fifa to show that the Kabwe Warriors striker Godfrey Chitalu, who won Zambia’s player of the year award five times, scored 107 goals in 1972.
“We have this record, which has been recorded in Zambian football, but unfortunately it has not been recorded in world football,” said a Zambia FA spokesperson.
Chitalu, who scored the goals in at least four domestic competitions and also played for Zambia’s national team, went on to become national coach.
He died in 1993 when a plane carrying the team crashed near Gabon.
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