The 27-year-old now sits above iconic Athletic Bilbao striker Telmo Zarra in the list of top La liga Goalscorers. . Zarra posted an impressive tally of 278 during his 18-year career between 1939-57, but it has taken Messi less than a decade to blitz through this mark.
Alongside Zarra, Messi remains above the likes of Hugo Sanchez, Raul, Alfredo Di Stefano and, of course, Cristiano Ronaldo in the La Liga scoring ranks. A plethora of records have already been broken by the iconic star, but plenty are on the horizon.
The era defining the player's current records include most goals scored in a single European league season (50), as reported by Barcelona's official website. He netted the most goals in a calendar year (86), beating Gerd Muller's 40-year-record during 2012. Let's not forget he also scored in 19 consecutive league matches and is a four-time winner of the Ballon d'Or trophy.
Despite being widely criticised for his performances last season, Messi still managed to notch 28 goals in 31 La Liga appearances for the Blaugrana, per WhoScored.com. He is perhaps one of two players in the world who would be considered off colour with such numbers.
Messi was just 17 years, 10 months and seven days old when he scored his first La Liga goal against Albacete in 2005, and in typical fashion, arrived with a lobbed finish after Ronaldinho chipped him through the opposition's defence.
Fans will no doubt have their own favourite Messi goals to discuss, but his recent header in the 6-0 win over Granada should be counted among the best. Xavi's exquisite pass is matched by Dani Alves' brilliant volley into the box. He doesn't score many with his head, but Messi was there to apply the finish and grab what was his 400th career goal.
After finishing the game with 401, Messi acknowledged how his achievements have far exceeded his expectations. "I never imagined I could achieve anything like this in my career," he wrote on Facebook, "I'll continue working hard to reach more targets."
He has reached the next target already, further cementing his place as one of sports' greatest ever athletes. His achievements transcend the barrier of football and place him among the likes of Michael Jordan, Babe Ruth and Muhammad Ali in sports all time greats.
It is perhaps only Pele, Diego Maradona and a certain Ronaldo who sit alongside him on the hallowed turf. Former Barcelona striker and England legend Gary Lineker is among the many to have hailed the "magical things" Messi can do over the years.
We've seen long-rangers, darting runs, costless-kicks and penalties. Perfect team goals and unstoppable individual strikes.
Future La Liga goalscorers are likely to balk at this record once Messi's career is complete. Considering he still has plenty of seasons ahead of him and has shown no signs of wanting to exit the Spanish division, it's likely the maestro's final tally will stand for the rest of time.